Identification of Neoantigen-Reactive Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Primary Bladder Cancer

J Immunol. 2019 Jun 15;202(12):3458-3467. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1801022. Epub 2019 Apr 29.

Abstract

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are effective in treating a variety of malignancies, including metastatic bladder cancer. A generally accepted hypothesis suggests that immune checkpoint inhibitors induce tumor regressions by reactivating a population of endogenous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) that recognize cancer neoantigens. Although previous studies have identified neoantigen-reactive TILs from several types of cancer, no study to date has shown whether neoantigen-reactive TILs can be found in bladder tumors. To address this, we generated TIL cultures from patients with primary bladder cancer and tested their ability to recognize tumor-specific mutations. We found that CD4+ TILs from one patient recognized mutated C-terminal binding protein 1 in an MHC class II-restricted manner. This finding suggests that neoantigen-reactive TILs reside in bladder cancer, which may help explain the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade in this disease and also provides a rationale for the future use of adoptive T cell therapy targeting neoantigens in bladder cancer.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases / genetics
  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases / immunology
  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases / metabolism*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / genetics
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / immunology
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / metabolism*
  • Cancer Vaccines / immunology*
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Cytokines / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / immunology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy, Adoptive / methods*
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / immunology*
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / immunology*

Substances

  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Cytokines
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Alcohol Oxidoreductases
  • C-terminal binding protein