Type 1 CD8+ T cells are superior to type 2 CD8+ T cells in tumor immunotherapy due to their efficient cytotoxicity, prolonged survival and type 1 immune modulation.

Abstract

CD8+ cytotoxic T (Tc) cells play a crucial role in host immune responses to cancer, and in this context, adoptive CD8+ Tc cell therapy has been studied in numerous animal tumor models. Its antitumor efficacy is, to a large extent, determined by the ability of Tc cells to survive and infiltrate tumors. In clinical trials, such in vitro-activated T cells often die within hours to days, and this greatly limits their therapeutic efficacy. CD8+ Tc cells fall into two subpopulations based upon their differential cytokine secretion. In this study, we in vitro generated that ovalbumin (OVA)-pulsed dendritic cell (DCOVA)-activated CD8+ type 1 Tc (Tc1) cells secreting IFN-gamma, and CD8+ type 2 Tc (Tc2) cells secreting IL-4, IL-5 and IL-10, which were derived from OVA-specific T cell receptor (TCR) transgenic OT I mice. We then systemically investigated the in vitro and in vivo effector function and survival of Tc1 and Tc2 cells, and then assessed their survival kinetics after adoptively transferred into C57BL/6 mice, respectively. We demonstrated that, when compared to CD8+ Tc2, Tc1 cells were significantly more effective in perforin-mediated cytotoxicity to tumor cells, had a significantly higher capacity for in vivo survival after the adoptive T cell transfer, and had a significantly stronger therapeutic effect on eradication of well-established tumors expressing OVA in animal models. In addition, CD8+ Tc1 and Tc2 cells skewed the phenotype of CD4+ T cells toward Th1 and Th2 type, respectively. Therefore, the information regarding the differential effector function, survival and immune modulation of CD8+ Tc1 and Tc2 cells may provide useful information when preparing in vitro DC-activated CD8+ T cells for adoptive T cell therapy of cancer.

• Authors: Zhenmin Ye, Chaoke Tang, Shulin Xu, Bei Zhang, Xueshu Zhang, Terence Moyana, Jicheng Yang, Jim Xiang
• Journal: Cellular & molecular immunology (Cell Mol Immunol) Vol. 4 Issue 4 Pg. 277-85 (Aug 2007) ISSN: 1672-7681 [Print] China
• PMID: 17764618 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Ovalbumin

Topics

• Adoptive Transfer
• Animals
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Cell Survival
• Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
• Immunotherapy
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Neoplasm Transplantation
• Neoplasms (immunology, therapy)
• Neoplasms, Experimental
• Ovalbumin (pharmacology)
• Phenotype
• T-Lymphocyte Subsets (immunology)
• Th1 Cells (immunology)
• Th2 Cells (immunology)