title: Depletion of T-cells with the CD4+CD45R+ phenotype in lymphocytes that infiltrate subcutaneous metastases of human melanoma.
abstract: We studied the phenotypes of lymphocytes extracted from 22 specimens of human melanoma, 11 s.c. metastases and 11 lymph node metastases, by two-color flow cytometry. Lymphocytes extracted from s.c. metastases were characterized by a significantly reduced ratio of CD4+ to CD8+ T-cells, as compared with peripheral blood lymphocytes from the same patients. Ten of 11 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from s.c. metastases, but only 1 of 11 peripheral blood lymphocytes, had a CD4/CD8 ratio of less than 1.0. This alteration was not observed for lymphocytes obtained from nodal metastases. Furthermore, almost all of the CD4+ T-cells in s.c. metastases expressed the antigen CD29w and were negative for the complementary antigen CD45R. In contrast, the CD29w/CD45R ratio of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from lymph node metastases was similar to that of matched peripheral blood lymphocytes. Thus tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from s.c. metastases have the phenotype associated with true helper or antigen-committed T-cells, which could reflect their sensitization to tumor antigens, while tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from lymph node metastases may represent merely an expanded residua of lymph node lymphocytes. Since tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes expanded in vitro are being tested as therapy for patients with advanced cancer, these observations may have important therapeutic implications.
authors: Instituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro di Genova, Sezione di Roma, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Cardi
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Mastrangelo
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Berd
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D006801:Humans; D019012:Integrin beta1; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000943:Antigens, Differentiation; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D016827:CD8 Antigens; D019012:Integrin beta1; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens