Clonal expansion of T cells that are specific for autologous ovarian tumor among tumor-infiltrating T cells in humans.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to determine whether oligoclonally expanding tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) were tumor-specific.


METHODS
Peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) from an ovarian tumor-bearing patient were stimulated in vitro with an autologous cancer cell line (SMOV-2). Then genes coding for the third complementarity-determining region of the T cell receptor (TCR) beta chain were amplified by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and separated by single-strand conformation polymorphism. Accumulated TCR clonotypes in vitro and in vivo in TIL were compared.


RESULTS
Clonal expansion of T cells was generated from PBL by stimulation with SMOV-2. A portion of the proliferated clonotypes was found to be identical to those accumulated in TIL in vivo.


CONCLUSIONS
This is the first demonstration that accumulating T cell clones in TIL recognize antigen(s) on an autologous tumor. Further characterization of such T cell clonotypes may lead to tumor antigen-specific immunotherapy.
Hayashi
K
K
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Marianna University, Yokohama City Seibu Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
Yonamine
K
K
Masuko-Hongo
K
K
Iida
T
T
Yamamoto
K
K
Nishioka
K
K
Kato
T
T
D001483:Base Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured