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T cell responses in early-stage melanoma patients occur frequently and are not associated with humoral response

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Abstract

Endogenous tumor-specific T cells are detectable in patients with different tumor types including malignant melanoma (MM). They can control tumor growth, have impact on patient survival and correlate with improved clinical response to immune checkpoint therapy. Thus, they may represent a potent biomarker for respective treatment decisions. So far, major target antigens of endogenous MM-reactive T cells have not been determined systematically. Instead, autoantibodies are discussed as surrogate parameter for MM-specific T cells. Throughout a period of more than 60 days after tumor resection, we therefore determined in 38 non-metastasized primary MM patients and in healthy individuals by IFNγ ELISpot and bead-based fluorescent multiplex assay major target antigens of spontaneous T cell and humoral responses using a broad panel of MM antigens and assessed the presence and suppressive impact of MM-reactive regulatory T cells (Tregs). We show that MM-reactive T cells are frequent in MM patients, transiently increase after tumor removal and are mostly directed against Melan-A/MART-1, Tyrosinase, NA17-A and p53. MM-specific Tregs were only detected in few patients and inhibited MM-reactive T cells particularly early after tumor resection. Tumor-specific autoantibodies occurred in most patients, but did not correlate with T cell responses. Thus, endogenous antibodies may not be reliable surrogate parameters of MM-reactive T cells.

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Abbreviations

DC:

Dendritic cell

HD:

Healthy donor

MM:

Malignant melanoma

PB:

Peripheral blood

PBMC:

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells

TAA:

Tumor-associated antigen

TC:

T cell

Tcon:

Conventional T cell

TCR:

T cell receptor

TIL:

Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte

Treg:

Regulatory T cell

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Acknowledgments

We thank Simone Jünger (Division of Translational Immunology, DKFZ) and Iris Kaiser (Department of Medical Oncology, NCT) for excellent technical assistance. Drs. Andreas Bonertz and Yingzi Ge (Division of Translational Immunology) for helpful discussions concerning the Treg specificity assay, Dr. Steffen Rickelt (Helmholtz Group for Cell Biology, DKFZ) for reading the manuscript and Dr. Michael Pawlita (Division of Genome Modifications and Carcinogenesis, DKFZ) for providing the recombinant p16 and p53 proteins used for the multiplex assay. This work was supported by the Initiative and Networking Fund of the Helmholtz Alliance on Immunotherapy of Cancer and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG; SFB938).

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Author notes

  1. Christina Pfirschke

    Present address: Center for Systems Biology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

  2. Christoffer Gebhardt

    Present address: Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany

  3. Philipp Beckhove

    Present address: Regensburg Center for Interventional Immunology (RCI), University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Translational Immunology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Heidelberg, Germany

    Christina Pfirschke, Maria Pritsch, Stefan B. Eichmüller & Philipp Beckhove

  2. Skin Cancer Unit, DKFZ, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christoffer Gebhardt

  3. Department of Dermatology, Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

    Christoffer Gebhardt & Alexander Enk

  4. Department of Medical Oncology, NCT, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany

    Inka Zörnig & Dirk Jäger

  5. University Clinic of Regensburg, Franz-Josef-Strauß-Allee 11, 93053, Regensburg, Germany

    Philipp Beckhove

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Pfirschke, C., Gebhardt, C., Zörnig, I. et al. T cell responses in early-stage melanoma patients occur frequently and are not associated with humoral response. Cancer Immunol Immunother 64, 1369–1381 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-015-1739-8

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