Memory T-lymphocytes are the main population of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes obtained from human primary liver tumors.
The phenotypic characteristics of freshly isolated tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) obtained from human liver tumors were analyzed by two-color flow cytometry. TIL consisted of mainly CD3+ T-lymphocytes (70-80%). The ratio of CD4/CD8 in TIL from primary and metastatic liver tumors and autologous peripheral blood lymphocytes (A-PBL) was 1.3, 1.1 and 1.3, respectively. The majority of CD3+ T-lymphocytes (mean +/- SD; 95 +/- 11%) expressed T-cell antigen receptor (TCR) alpha/beta, and gamma/delta TCR positive T-cells were only 5 +/- 4.5% in TIL from both primary and metastatic liver tumors. TIL showed significantly higher percentages of transient activation markers, such as CD25 (Tac) and HLA-DR, than A-PBL. TIL also contained significantly more populations of CD3+ CD45RO+ T-lymphocytes, which are considered to be expressed on primed (memory) T-lymphocytes, than A-PBL. Furthermore, TIL from primary liver tumors demonstrated significantly higher percentages of CD3+ CD45RO+ T-cells than those from metastatic liver tumors. These data indicate that TIL from human liver tumors are an apparently distinct population from A-PBL, and that local immune responses against human primary and metastatic liver tumors might be different. Moreover, TIL from primary liver tumors consisted of mainly activated or primed (memory) T-cells, suggesting that they were sensitized and activated by autologous tumor cells in vivo. These observations may imply the possibility of adoptive immunotherapy using TIL against human primary liver tumors.
Shimizu
Y
Y
Third Department of Internal Medicine, Toyama Medical and Pharmaceutical University, Japan.
Watanabe
A
A
Whiteside
T L
TL
D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
D006684:HLA-DR Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2