Phosphoantigens overcome human TCRVgamma9+ gammadelta Cell immunosuppression by TGF-beta: relevance for cancer immunotherapy

J Immunol. 2010 Jun 15;184(12):6680-7. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1000681. Epub 2010 May 17.

Abstract

Human gammadelta cells expressing TCRVgamma9 are HLA-unrestricted CTLs with high relevance for cancer immunotherapy. Many tumor cell types produce TGF-beta, however, a cytokine strongly immunosuppressive for conventional T CD4, CD8, and NK cells. Whether TGF-beta also inhibits TCRVgamma9+ lymphocytes was unknown. Because phosphoantigens (PAgs), such as bromohydrin pyrophosphate, selectively activate the antitumor functions of TCRVgamma9+ T cells, in this study, we investigated whether TGF-beta modulates these functions. We report that TGF-beta does not block activation of TCRVgamma9+ T cells but inhibits their PAg/IL-2-induced proliferation and maturation into effector cells and finally reduces the cytotoxic activity of these gammadelta T cells when exposed to lymphoma target cells. TGF-beta did not bias their differentiation pattern toward gammadelta Th17 or gammadelta regulatory T cells. Nevertheless, increasing doses of PAg stimulus countered TGF-beta inhibition. So, although TGF-beta impairs TCRVgamma9+ gammadelta cells like other cytolytic lymphocytes, PAg alone or combined to therapeutic mAb has the ability to bypass its immunosuppressive activity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antigens / immunology
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cell Separation
  • Diphosphates / immunology
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance / immunology*
  • Immunotherapy / methods
  • Lymphocyte Activation / immunology*
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / immunology*
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens
  • Diphosphates
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta
  • Transforming Growth Factor beta
  • bromohydrin pyrophosphate