The Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10065, USA.
Int J Mol Sci. 2022 Nov 3;23(21):13470. doi: 10.3390/ijms232113470.
Steady-state lymphatic endothelial cells (LECs) can induce peripheral tolerance by presenting endogenous antigens on MHC class I (MHC-I) molecules. Recent evidence suggests that lymph node LECs can cross-present tumor antigens on MHC-I to suppress tumor-specific CD8+ T cells. Whether LECs can act as immunosuppressive cells in an MHC-II dependent manner in the local tumor microenvironment (TME) is not well characterized. Using murine heterotopic and spontaneous tumor models, we show that LECs in the TME increase MHC-II expression in the context of increased co-inhibitory signals. We provide evidence that tumor lymphatics in human melanoma and breast cancer also upregulate MHC-II compared to normal tissue lymphatics. In transgenic mice that lack LEC-specific MHC-II expression, heterotopic tumor growth is attenuated, which is associated with increased numbers of tumor-specific CD8+ and effector CD4+ T cells, as well as decreased numbers of T regulatory CD4+ cells in the TME. Mechanistically, we show that murine and human dermal LECs can take up tumor antigens in vitro. Antigen-loaded LECs in vitro can induce antigen-specific proliferation of CD8+ T cells but not CD4+ T cells; however, these proliferated CD8+ T cells have reduced effector function in the presence of antigen-loaded LECs. Taken together, our study suggests LECs can act as immunosuppressive cells in the TME in an MHC-II dependent manner. Whether this is a result of direct tumor antigen presentation on MHC-II requires additional investigation.
稳态淋巴管内皮细胞 (LECs) 可以通过 MHC-I 分子呈递内源性抗原诱导外周耐受。最近的证据表明,淋巴结 LEC 可以在 MHC-I 上交叉呈递肿瘤抗原,以抑制肿瘤特异性 CD8+T 细胞。LECs 是否可以在局部肿瘤微环境 (TME) 中以 MHC-II 依赖的方式作为免疫抑制细胞尚不清楚。使用小鼠异位和自发肿瘤模型,我们表明 TME 中的 LEC 在增加共抑制信号的情况下增加 MHC-II 的表达。我们提供的证据表明,与正常组织淋巴管相比,人类黑色素瘤和乳腺癌的肿瘤淋巴管也上调了 MHC-II。在缺乏 LEC 特异性 MHC-II 表达的转基因小鼠中,异位肿瘤生长减弱,这与肿瘤特异性 CD8+和效应性 CD4+T 细胞数量增加以及 TME 中调节性 CD4+T 细胞数量减少有关。从机制上讲,我们表明鼠和人真皮 LEC 可以在体外摄取肿瘤抗原。体外负载抗原的 LEC 可以诱导 CD8+T 细胞的抗原特异性增殖,但不能诱导 CD4+T 细胞的增殖;然而,在存在负载抗原的 LEC 的情况下,这些增殖的 CD8+T 细胞的效应功能降低。总之,我们的研究表明 LECs 可以在 MHC-II 依赖的方式下在 TME 中作为免疫抑制细胞发挥作用。这是否是由于 MHC-II 上直接的肿瘤抗原呈递尚需进一步研究。