A distinct innate lymphoid cell population regulates tumor-associated T cells

Nat Med. 2017 Mar;23(3):368-375. doi: 10.1038/nm.4278. Epub 2017 Feb 6.

Abstract

Antitumor T cells are subject to multiple mechanisms of negative regulation. Recent findings that innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) regulate adaptive T cell responses led us to examine the regulatory potential of ILCs in the context of cancer. We identified a unique ILC population that inhibits tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from high-grade serous tumors, defined their suppressive capacity in vitro, and performed a comprehensive analysis of their phenotype. Notably, the presence of this CD56+CD3- population in TIL cultures was associated with reduced T cell numbers, and further functional studies demonstrated that this population suppressed TIL expansion and altered TIL cytokine production. Transcriptome analysis and phenotypic characterization determined that regulatory CD56+CD3- cells exhibit low cytotoxic activity, produce IL-22, and have an expression profile that overlaps with those of natural killer (NK) cells and other ILCs. NKp46 was highly expressed by these cells, and addition of anti-NKp46 antibodies to TIL cultures abrogated the ability of these regulatory ILCs to suppress T cell expansion. Notably, the presence of these regulatory ILCs in TIL cultures corresponded with a striking reduction in the time to disease recurrence. These studies demonstrate that a previously uncharacterized ILC population regulates the activity and expansion of tumor-associated T cells.

MeSH terms

  • CD3 Complex / metabolism
  • CD56 Antigen / metabolism
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cytokines / immunology*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance
  • Immunity, Innate / immunology*
  • Immunotherapy
  • Interleukin-22
  • Interleukins / immunology
  • Killer Cells, Natural / immunology
  • Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / immunology*
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / metabolism
  • Natural Cytotoxicity Triggering Receptor 1 / metabolism
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Neoplasms / therapy
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Tumor Microenvironment / immunology*

Substances

  • CD3 Complex
  • CD56 Antigen
  • Cytokines
  • Interleukins
  • NCR1 protein, human
  • Natural Cytotoxicity Triggering Receptor 1