title: Harnessing the tumour-derived cytokine, CSF-1, to co-stimulate T-cell growth and activation.
abstract: Aberrant growth factor production is a prevalent mechanism in tumourigenesis. If T-cells responded positively to a cancer-derived cytokine, this might result in selective enhancement of function within the tumour microenvironment. Here, we have chosen colony-stimulating factor-1 (CSF-1) as a candidate to test this concept. CSF-1 is greatly overproduced in many cancers but has no direct effects upon T-lymphocytes, which do not express the c-fms-encoded CSF-1 receptor. To confer CSF-1-responsiveness, we have expressed the human c-fms gene in immortalized and primary T-cells. Addition of soluble CSF-1 resulted in synergistic enhancement of IL-2-driven T-cell proliferation. CSF-1 also co-stimulated the production of interferon (IFN)-gamma by activated T-cells. These effects required Y809 of the CSF-1R and activation of the Ras-MEK-MAP kinase cascade, but were independent of PI3K signalling. T-cells that express c-fms are also responsive to membrane-anchored CSF-1 (mCSF-1) which, unlike its soluble counterpart, could co-stimulate IL-2 production. CSF-1 promoted chemotaxis of c-fms-expressing primary human T-cells and greatly augmented proliferation mediated by a tumour-targeted chimeric antigen receptor, with preservation of tumour cytolytic activity. Taken together, these data establish that T-cells may be genetically modified to acquire responsiveness to CSF-1 and provide proof-of-principle for a novel strategy to enhance the effectiveness of adoptive T-cell immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cancer Immunology and AIDS, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: Agnes Shuk Yee
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Lo
authors.forename: Jessica Rhiannon
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Farzin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farzaneh
authors.forename: David Michael
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Kemeny
authors.forename: Nicholas John
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Dibb
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maher
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods; D007376:Interleukin-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects*; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D016186:Receptor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D014162:Transfection
chemical_list: D007376:Interleukin-2; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016173:Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D016186:Receptor, Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor