IL-7 is superior to IL-2 for ex vivo expansion of tumourspecific CD4 + T cells

Caserta, Stefano; Alessi, Patrizia; Basso, Veronica; Mondino, Anna

Abstract

It is well established that tumours hinder both natural and vaccine-induced tumourspecific CD4 + T-cell responses. Adoptive T-cell therapy has the potential to circumvent functional tolerance and enhance anti-tumour protective responses. While protocols suitable for the expansion of cytotoxic CD8 + T cells are currently available, data on tumour-specific CD4 + T cells remain scarce.We report here that CD4 + T cells sensitized to tumour-associated Ag in vivo, proliferate in vitro in response to IL-7 without the need for exogenous Ag stimulation and accumulate several folds while preserving a memory-like phenotype. Both cell proliferation and survival accounts for the outgrowth of tumoursensitized T cells among other memory and naive lymphocytes following exposure to IL-7. Also IL-2, previously used to expand anti-tumour CTL, promotes tumour-specific CD4 + T-cell accumulation. However, IL-7 is superior to IL-2 at preserving lymphocyte viability, in vitro and in vivo, maintaining those properties, that are required by helper CD4 + T cells to confer therapeutic efficacy upon transplantation in tumour-bearing hosts. Together our data support a unique role for IL-7 in retrieving memory-like CD4 + T cells suitable for adoptive T-cell therapy. © 2010 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.

Citation

Caserta, S., Alessi, P., Basso, V., & Mondino, A. (2010). IL-7 is superior to IL-2 for ex vivo expansion of tumourspecific CD4 + T cells. European journal of immunology, 40(2), 470-479. https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.200939801

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 12, 2009
• Online Publication Date: Nov 30, 2009
• Publication Date: Feb 1, 2010
• Deposit Date: Jun 28, 2018
• Journal: European Journal of Immunology
• Print ISSN: 0014-2980
• Electronic ISSN: 1521-4141
• Publisher: Wiley
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 40
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 470-479
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/eji.200939801
• Keywords: Adoptive T‐cell therapy; Cytokines; T helper cells; Tumour immunology
• Public URL: https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/620565
• Publisher URL: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/eji.200939801