AI Article Synopsis

  • Researchers observed a unique group of tumor-fighting CD4(+) CD8(+) double positive (DP) T cells in melanoma tumors, hinting at their importance in anti-cancer immune responses.
  • *DP T cells, which have a different killing ability compared to CD8(+) T cells, showed higher levels of the IL-9 receptor (IL-9R), leading to further investigation on how IL-9 affects their function.
  • *Findings indicate that IL-9 promotes the survival and proliferation of DP T cells, boosts their cytokine production, and enhances their ability to attack melanoma cells, suggesting that targeting IL-9 could improve anti-tumor immunity.*

Article Abstract

We previously demonstrated an accumulation of tumor-reactive CD4(+) CD8(+) double positive (DP) T cells within melanoma-infiltrating lymphocytes, supporting their role in the regulation of anti-tumor immune responses. Similarly to their CD8(+) counterparts, intra-tumor DP T cells are MHC class-I restricted but differed by a limited lytic activity against autologous melanoma cells. Based on these observations and to further characterize DP T cells, both populations were compared at the transcriptional level. Our results revealed the overexpression of the IL-9 receptor (IL-9R) by DP T cells and prompted us to investigate the impact of IL-9 on their biology. We show that IL-9 favors DP T-cell survival by protecting them from apoptosis and by promoting their proliferation. In addition, IL-9 enhances their ability to produce cytokines and increased their levels of granzyme B/perforin as well as degranulation capacity, leading to a strengthened cytotoxic activity against melanoma cells. Taken together, the IL-9R(high) DP T-cell population could be a new preferential target for IL-9, which could take part in their retention within the melanoma infiltrate while also favoring their anti-tumor activity. More generally, our results extend the pleiotropic effects of IL-9 to IL-9R-expressing intra-tumor T cells, which could further potentiate anti-tumor immune responses.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/eji.201546061DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

cd4+ cd8+
8
anti-tumor immune
8
immune responses
8
melanoma cells
8
il-9
7
cells
6
il-9 promotes
4
promotes survival
4
survival function
4
function human
4

Similar Publications

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!