Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy

Background PD1 immune checkpoint blockade (αPD1 ICB) has shown unparalleled success in treating many types of cancer. However, response to treatment does not always lead to tumor rejection. While αPD1 ICB relies on cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) at the tumor site are also ne...

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Main Authors: Louis Boon, Matheus H W Crommentuijn, Sjoerd T T Schetters, Laura J W Kruijssen, Yvette van Kooyk, Ernesto Rodriguez, Jan Van den Bossche, Joke M M Den Haan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2020-10-01
Series:Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Online Access:https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e000588.full
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author Louis Boon
Matheus H W Crommentuijn
Sjoerd T T Schetters
Laura J W Kruijssen
Yvette van Kooyk
Ernesto Rodriguez
Jan Van den Bossche
Joke M M Den Haan
author_facet Louis Boon
Matheus H W Crommentuijn
Sjoerd T T Schetters
Laura J W Kruijssen
Yvette van Kooyk
Ernesto Rodriguez
Jan Van den Bossche
Joke M M Den Haan
author_sort Louis Boon
collection DOAJ
description Background PD1 immune checkpoint blockade (αPD1 ICB) has shown unparalleled success in treating many types of cancer. However, response to treatment does not always lead to tumor rejection. While αPD1 ICB relies on cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) at the tumor site are also needed for costimulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). It is still unclear how these APCs develop and function before and during αPD1 ICB or how they are associated with tumor rejection.Methods Here, we used B16 mouse melanoma and MC38 colorectal carcinoma tumor models, which show differential responses to αPD1 ICB. The immune composition of ICB insensitive B16 and sensitive MC38 were extensively investigated using multi-parameter flow cytometry and unsupervised clustering and trajectory analyses. We additionally analyzed existing single cell RNA sequencing data of the myeloid compartment of patients with melanoma undergoing αPD1 ICB. Lastly, we investigated the effect of CD40 agonistic antibody on the tumor-infiltrating monocyte-derived cells during αPD1 ICB.Results We show that monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) express high levels of costimulatory molecules and are correlated with effector TILs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) after αPD1 ICB only in responding mouse tumor models. Tumor-resident moDCs showed distinct differentiation from monocytes in both mouse and human tumors. We further confirmed significant enrichment of tumor-resident differentiated moDCs in patients with melanoma responding to αPD1 ICB therapy compared with non-responding patients. Moreover, moDCs could be targeted by agonistic anti-CD40 antibody, supporting moDC differentiation, effector T-cell expansion and anti-tumor immunity.Conclusion The combined analysis of myeloid and lymphoid populations in the TME during successful and non-successful PD1 ICB led to the discovery of monocyte-to-DC differentiation linked to expanding T-cell populations. This differentiation was found in patients during ICB, which was significantly higher during successful ICB. The finding of tumor-infiltrating monocytes and differentiating moDCs as druggable target for rational combination therapy opens new avenues of anti-tumor therapy design.
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spelling doaj-art-0b3a381377d2418f88931130ae98ba492024-11-10T00:10:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupJournal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer2051-14262020-10-018210.1136/jitc-2020-000588Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapyLouis Boon0Matheus H W Crommentuijn1Sjoerd T T Schetters2Laura J W Kruijssen3Yvette van Kooyk4Ernesto Rodriguez5Jan Van den Bossche6Joke M M Den Haan72 Polpharma Biologics, Utrecht, The NetherlandsDepartment of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute and Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute and Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsDepartment of Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam Infection & Immunity Institute and Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMolecular Cell Biology & Immunology, Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMolecular Cell Biology & Immunology, Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The Netherlands1 Molecular Cell Biology and Immunology, Amsterdam Institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC - Location VUMC, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsMolecular Cell Biology & Immunology, Amsterdam institute for Infection and Immunity, Cancer Center Amsterdam, Amsterdam UMC Location VUmc, Amsterdam, The NetherlandsBackground PD1 immune checkpoint blockade (αPD1 ICB) has shown unparalleled success in treating many types of cancer. However, response to treatment does not always lead to tumor rejection. While αPD1 ICB relies on cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, antigen-presenting cells (APCs) at the tumor site are also needed for costimulation of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). It is still unclear how these APCs develop and function before and during αPD1 ICB or how they are associated with tumor rejection.Methods Here, we used B16 mouse melanoma and MC38 colorectal carcinoma tumor models, which show differential responses to αPD1 ICB. The immune composition of ICB insensitive B16 and sensitive MC38 were extensively investigated using multi-parameter flow cytometry and unsupervised clustering and trajectory analyses. We additionally analyzed existing single cell RNA sequencing data of the myeloid compartment of patients with melanoma undergoing αPD1 ICB. Lastly, we investigated the effect of CD40 agonistic antibody on the tumor-infiltrating monocyte-derived cells during αPD1 ICB.Results We show that monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) express high levels of costimulatory molecules and are correlated with effector TILs in the tumor microenvironment (TME) after αPD1 ICB only in responding mouse tumor models. Tumor-resident moDCs showed distinct differentiation from monocytes in both mouse and human tumors. We further confirmed significant enrichment of tumor-resident differentiated moDCs in patients with melanoma responding to αPD1 ICB therapy compared with non-responding patients. Moreover, moDCs could be targeted by agonistic anti-CD40 antibody, supporting moDC differentiation, effector T-cell expansion and anti-tumor immunity.Conclusion The combined analysis of myeloid and lymphoid populations in the TME during successful and non-successful PD1 ICB led to the discovery of monocyte-to-DC differentiation linked to expanding T-cell populations. This differentiation was found in patients during ICB, which was significantly higher during successful ICB. The finding of tumor-infiltrating monocytes and differentiating moDCs as druggable target for rational combination therapy opens new avenues of anti-tumor therapy design.https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e000588.full
spellingShingle Louis Boon
Matheus H W Crommentuijn
Sjoerd T T Schetters
Laura J W Kruijssen
Yvette van Kooyk
Ernesto Rodriguez
Jan Van den Bossche
Joke M M Den Haan
Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
title Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
title_full Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
title_fullStr Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
title_full_unstemmed Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
title_short Monocyte-derived APCs are central to the response of PD1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
title_sort monocyte derived apcs are central to the response of pd1 checkpoint blockade and provide a therapeutic target for combination therapy
url https://jitc.bmj.com/content/8/2/e000588.full
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