Differing phenotypes between intraepithelial and stromal lymphocytes in early-stage tongue cancer.
The significance of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) has attracted much attention in relation to the prognosis of patients. We herein examined the activation status of the TILs in relation to the tumor microenvironment. By using frozen sections of human early-stage tongue cancers (n = 22), the TILs in the cancer nests and those in the cancer stroma were compared for the expression of PD-1, NKG2A, NKG2D, CD69, and Ki-67. The lymphocytes in oral lichen planus, an active immune response-mediated mucosal disease, were also analyzed for comparison purposes. All of the cancer specimens were abundantly infiltrated by CD8(+) T cells and CD56(+) natural killer (NK) cells in the stroma, as well as in the tumor nest. The tumor nest-infiltrating (intraepithelial) CD8(+) T cells frequently expressed PD-1, an inhibitory receptor, in sharp contrast to those in the stroma or in the lichen planus. Conversely, the intraepithelial CD8(+) T cells only infrequently expressed NKG2D, an activating receptor, in contrast to those in the stroma or in the lichen planus. No intraepithelial CD8(+) T cells expressed Ki-67, a proliferation-associated marker, whereas those in the stroma frequently expressed it. Furthermore, the intraepithelial NK cells expressed NKG2A, an inhibitory receptor, more frequently than those in the stroma or the lichen planus. Collectively, the intraepithelial CD8(+) T cells and NK cells are phenotypically inactivated, whereas stromal counterparts are phenotypically just as active as those in the lichen planus. These results suggest the first-step occurrence of an immune evasion mechanism in the tumor nest of oral squamous cell carcinoma.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan. Katou@hama-med.ac.jp
Fuminori
F
Katou
Haruo
H
Ohtani
Yoshiko
Y
Watanabe
Takashi
T
Nakayama
Osamu
O
Yoshie
Kenji
K
Hashimoto
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000378:metabolism; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte / Q000378:metabolism; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002278:Carcinoma in Situ / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D017676:Lichen Planus, Oral / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016246:Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D010641:Phenotype; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000378:metabolism; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017154:Stromal Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D014059:Tongue / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014062:Tongue Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000099192:CD69 Antigens
D015703:Antigens, CD; D000945:Antigens, Differentiation, T-Lymphocyte; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D055654:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily C; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell; D000099192:CD69 Antigens; C527054:KLRC1 protein, human; C527085:KLRK1 protein, human; C105992:PDCD1 protein, human