CD39⁺ conventional CD4⁺ T cells with exhaustion traits and cytotoxic potential infiltrate tumors and expand upon CTLA-4 blockade.

ABSTRACT: Conventional CD4⁺ T (Tconv) lymphocytes play important roles in tumor immunity; however, their contribution to tumor elimination remains poorly understood. Here, we describe a subset of tumor-infiltrating Tconv cells characterized by the expression of CD39. In several mouse cancer models, we observed that CD39⁺ Tconv cells accumulated in tumors but were absent in lymphoid organs. Compared to tumor CD39^- counterparts, CD39⁺ Tconv cells exhibited a cytotoxic and exhausted signature at the transcriptomic level, confirmed by high protein expression of inhibitory receptors and transcription factors related to the exhaustion. Additionally, CD39⁺ Tconv cells showed increased production of IFNγ, granzyme B, perforin and CD107a expression, but

SUBMITTER: Bossio SN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10599196 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature