Circulating tumor-reactive KIR⁺CD8⁺ T cells suppress anti-tumor immunity in patients with melanoma.

ABSTRACT: Effective anti-tumor immunity is driven by cytotoxic CD8⁺ T cells with specificity for tumor antigens. However, the factors that control successful tumor rejection are not well understood. Here we identify a subpopulation of CD8⁺ T cells that are tumor-antigen-specific and can be identified by KIR expression but paradoxically impair anti-tumor immunity in patients with melanoma. These tumor-antigen-specific KIR⁺CD8⁺ regulatory T cells target other tumor-antigen-specific CD8⁺ T cells, can be detected in both the tumor and the blood, have a conserved transcriptional program and are associated with a poor overall survival. These findings broaden our understanding of the transcriptional and functional heterogeneity of human CD8⁺

SUBMITTER: Lu BY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12285569 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature