T cell cancer therapy requires CD40-CD40L activation of TNFα-iNOS-producing dendritic cells
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ABSTRACT: The effectiveness of new cancer therapies such as checkpoint blockade and adoptive cell transfer of activated anti-tumor T cells requires overcoming immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. We found that the activation of tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells to produce local nitric oxide is a prerequisite for adoptively transferred CD8+ cytotoxic T cells to destroy tumors. These myeloid cells are phenotypically similar to ‘Tip-DCs’ or nitric oxide- and TNFα-producing dendritic cells. The nitric oxide-dependent killing was tempered by coincident arginase 1 expression, which competes with iNOS for arginine, the substrate for nitric oxide production. Depletion of immunosuppressive CSF-1R-dependent arginase 1+ myeloid cells enhanced nitric oxide-dependent tumor killing. Tumor killing via iNOS was independent of the microbiota but dependent on the CD40-CD40L pathway and, in part, lymphotoxin alpha. We extended our findings in mice to uncover a strong correlation between iNOS, CD40 and TNF expression and survival in colorectal cancer patients. Our results identify a network of anti-tumor targets to boost the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies.
ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus
PROVIDER: GSE74427 | GEO | 2016/09/14
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA300403
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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