title: TCR beta-chain variable region-driven selection and massive expansion of HLA-class I-restricted antitumor CTL lines from HLA-A*0201+ melanoma patients.
abstract: Recognition of a given melanoma Ag involves a limited array of T cell clones bearing a structurally defined TCR. The aim of this study was to verify whether this information can be used to isolate and expand such anti-tumor effectors from fresh lymphocyte populations. We found that one to three different TCR beta-chain variable (TCRBV) regions were significantly expanded in 4-wk mixed lymphocyte-tumor cultures (MLTC) from six HLA-A*0201+ melanoma patients, and that the T cells expressing the expanded TCRBV regions were involved in HLA class I-restricted lysis of the tumor. T cell activation by mAbs to MLTC-selected TCRBV region and CD28 resulted in large scale expansion (1-10 x 10(9) cells) of T cell lines, highly enriched for the expression of a single TCRBV region and for CD8+ T cells. The TCRBV-driven selection was equally effective when applied to patients' or healthy donors' lymphocytes, and the T cell lines isolated from melanoma patients exerted HLA class I-restricted lysis of the autologous tumor. MLTC and TCRBV-selected lines recognized allogeneic melanomas sharing HLA-A and -B alleles with the autologous tumor, but only two of the HLA-A2-restricted lines were directed to a known peptide from melanoma-associated Ags. Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis indicated a polyclonal composition of both MLTC and TCRBV-selected lines, but expansion of clonotypes with identical CDR3 length was observed only in the MLTC lines. Thus, TCRBV-driven selection can be exploited to obtain large scale expansion of antitumor CTL lines from melanoma patients.
authors.affiliation: Division of Experimental Oncology D, National Tumor Institute, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Maccalli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sensi
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Parmiani
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Anichini
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018106:CD28 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D000939:Epitopes; D005805:Genes, MHC Class I; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000276:immunology*; D007959:Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology*; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018106:CD28 Antigens; D000939:Epitopes; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D016693:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, alpha-beta