GSE99531
A transcriptionally und functionally distinct PD-1+ CD8+ T cell pool with predictive potential in non-small cell lung cancer treated with PD-1 blockade
Evidence from mouse chronic viral infection models suggests that CD8+ T cell subsets characterized by distinct expression levels of the receptor PD-1 diverge in their state of exhaustion and potential for reinvigoration by PD-1 blockade. However, it remains unknown whether T cells in human cancer adopt a similar spectrum of exhausted states based on PD-1 expression levels. We compared transcriptional, metabolic, and functional signatures of intratumoral CD8+ T lymphocyte populations with high (PD-1T), intermediate (PD-1N) and no PD-1 expression (PD-1-) from non-small cell lung cancer patients. We observed that, PD-1T T cells show a markedly different transcriptional and metabolic profile as compared to PD-1N and PD-1- lymphocytes, as well as an intrinsically high capacity for tumor recognition. Furthermore, while PD-1T lymphocytes are impaired in classical effector cytokine production, they produce CXCL13 that mediates immune cell recruitment to tertiary lymphoid structures. Strikingly, the presence of PD-1T cells was strongly predictive for both response and survival in a small cohort of non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with PD-1 blockade. The characterization of a distinct state of tumor-reactive, PD-1 bright lymphocytes in human cancer, which only partially resembles that seen in chronic infection, provides novel potential avenues for therapeutic intervention. Overall design: Intratumoral CD8+ T cells from 11 non-small cell lung cancer patients that were sub-sorted into PD1-high (PD-1T), PD1-intermediate (PD-1N) and PD1-negative (PD-1-) cells, were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq4000. In addition, peripheral blood effector memory T cells from 4 healthy donors were sequenced using Illumina HiSeq4000.