Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Colorectal cancer-infiltrating T lymphocytes display a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile

Löfroos, Ann-Britt ; Kadivar, Mohammad LU ; Lindehammer, Sabina LU and Marsal, Jan LU (2017) In European Journal of Medical Research 22(1).
Abstract

Background: T lymphocytes exert important homeostatic functions in the healthy intestinal mucosa, whereas in case of colorectal cancer (CRC), infiltration of T lymphocytes into the tumor is crucial for an effective anti-tumor immune response. In both situations, the recruitment mechanisms of T lymphocytes into the tissues are essential for the immunological functions deciding the outcome. The recruitment of T lymphocytes is largely dependent on their expression of various chemokine receptors. The aim of this study was to identify potential chemokine receptors involved in the recruitment of T lymphocytes to normal human colonic mucosa and to CRC tissue, respectively, by examining the expression of 16 different chemokine receptors on T... (More)

Background: T lymphocytes exert important homeostatic functions in the healthy intestinal mucosa, whereas in case of colorectal cancer (CRC), infiltration of T lymphocytes into the tumor is crucial for an effective anti-tumor immune response. In both situations, the recruitment mechanisms of T lymphocytes into the tissues are essential for the immunological functions deciding the outcome. The recruitment of T lymphocytes is largely dependent on their expression of various chemokine receptors. The aim of this study was to identify potential chemokine receptors involved in the recruitment of T lymphocytes to normal human colonic mucosa and to CRC tissue, respectively, by examining the expression of 16 different chemokine receptors on T lymphocytes isolated from these tissues. Methods: Tissues were collected from patients undergoing bowel resection for CRC. Lymphocytes were isolated through enzymatic tissue degradation of CRC tissue and nearby located unaffected mucosa, respectively. The expression of a broad panel of chemokine receptors on the freshly isolated T lymphocytes was examined by flow cytometry. Results: In the normal colonic mucosa, the frequencies of cells expressing CCR2, CCR4, CXCR3, and CXCR6 differed significantly between CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms mediating T lymphocyte recruitment to the gut differ between CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In CRC, the frequencies of cells expressing CCR2 and CXCR5 were significantly lower in both the CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocyte populations compared to unaffected colonic mucosa, and the frequency of CCR9+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes was significantly decreased in CRC tissue. Conclusions: With regard to the normal gut mucosa, the results suggest that the molecular mechanisms mediating T lymphocyte recruitment differ between CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, which are important for understanding gut homeostasis. Importantly, T lymphocytes from CRC compared to normal colonic tissue displayed a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile, suggesting that mechanisms for recruitment of T lymphocytes to CRC tissue are skewed compared to normal colonic mucosa. Understanding these mechanisms could help in developing new strategies in cancer immunotherapy and to optimize already available alternatives such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Chemokine receptor, Colorectal cancer, Homing, Mucosa, T lymphocyte
in
European Journal of Medical Research
volume
22
issue
1
article number
40
publisher
BioMed Central (BMC)
external identifiers
  • pmid:29020986
  • wos:000412905600002
  • scopus:85031107223
ISSN
0949-2321
DOI
10.1186/s40001-017-0283-8
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
334dc036-f1b9-4332-9e0a-59269ff2b9c1
date added to LUP
2017-11-02 10:37:24
date last changed
2024-03-31 19:49:52
@article{334dc036-f1b9-4332-9e0a-59269ff2b9c1,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: T lymphocytes exert important homeostatic functions in the healthy intestinal mucosa, whereas in case of colorectal cancer (CRC), infiltration of T lymphocytes into the tumor is crucial for an effective anti-tumor immune response. In both situations, the recruitment mechanisms of T lymphocytes into the tissues are essential for the immunological functions deciding the outcome. The recruitment of T lymphocytes is largely dependent on their expression of various chemokine receptors. The aim of this study was to identify potential chemokine receptors involved in the recruitment of T lymphocytes to normal human colonic mucosa and to CRC tissue, respectively, by examining the expression of 16 different chemokine receptors on T lymphocytes isolated from these tissues. Methods: Tissues were collected from patients undergoing bowel resection for CRC. Lymphocytes were isolated through enzymatic tissue degradation of CRC tissue and nearby located unaffected mucosa, respectively. The expression of a broad panel of chemokine receptors on the freshly isolated T lymphocytes was examined by flow cytometry. Results: In the normal colonic mucosa, the frequencies of cells expressing CCR2, CCR4, CXCR3, and CXCR6 differed significantly between CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes, suggesting that the molecular mechanisms mediating T lymphocyte recruitment to the gut differ between CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes. In CRC, the frequencies of cells expressing CCR2 and CXCR5 were significantly lower in both the CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T lymphocyte populations compared to unaffected colonic mucosa, and the frequency of CCR9<sup>+</sup> cytotoxic T lymphocytes was significantly decreased in CRC tissue. Conclusions: With regard to the normal gut mucosa, the results suggest that the molecular mechanisms mediating T lymphocyte recruitment differ between CD4<sup>+</sup> and CD8<sup>+</sup> T lymphocytes, which are important for understanding gut homeostasis. Importantly, T lymphocytes from CRC compared to normal colonic tissue displayed a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile, suggesting that mechanisms for recruitment of T lymphocytes to CRC tissue are skewed compared to normal colonic mucosa. Understanding these mechanisms could help in developing new strategies in cancer immunotherapy and to optimize already available alternatives such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.</p>}},
  author       = {{Löfroos, Ann-Britt and Kadivar, Mohammad and Lindehammer, Sabina and Marsal, Jan}},
  issn         = {{0949-2321}},
  keywords     = {{Chemokine receptor; Colorectal cancer; Homing; Mucosa; T lymphocyte}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{BioMed Central (BMC)}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Medical Research}},
  title        = {{Colorectal cancer-infiltrating T lymphocytes display a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40001-017-0283-8}},
  doi          = {{10.1186/s40001-017-0283-8}},
  volume       = {{22}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}