The UCSF COMET Consortium, Michael Matthay, David J. E rl e , P re scot t G. Woodruff, Charles Langelier, Kirsten K an ge la ri s, C ar ol yn M.

BackgroundImmunotherapies still fail to benefit colorectal cancer (CRC) patients. Relevant functional assays aimed at studying these failures and the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy in human are scarce. 3D tumor cultures, called tumor organoids or spheroids, represent interesting models to study cancer treatments and could help to challenge these issues.MethodsWe analyzed heterotypic cocultures of human colon tumor-derived spheroids with immune cells to assess the infiltration, activation and function of T and NK cells toward human colorectal tumors in vitro.ResultsWe showed that allogeneic T and NK cells rapidly infiltrated cell line-derived spheroids, inducing immune-mediated tumor cell apoptosis and spheroid destruction. NKG2D, a key activator of cytotoxic responses, was engaged on infiltrating cells. We thus assessed the therapeutic potential of an antibody targeting the specific ligands of NKG2D, MICA and MICB, in this system. Anti-MICA/B enhanced immune-dependent destruction of tumor spheroid by driving an increased NK cells infiltration and activation. Interestingly, tumor cells reacted to immune infiltration by upregulating HLA-E, ligand of the inhibitory receptor NKG2A expressed by CD8 and NK cells. NKG2A was increased after anti-MICA/B treatment and, accordingly, combination of anti-MICA/B and anti-NKG2A was synergistic. These observations were ultimately confirmed in a clinical relevant model of coculture between CRC patients-derived spheroids and autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes.ConclusionsAltogether, we show that tumor spheroids represent a relevant tool to study tumor-lymphocyte interactions on human tissues and revealed the antitumor potential of immunomodulatory antibodies targeting MICA/B and NKG2A.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s40425-019-0553-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) play crucial roles in both fetal and tumor development. We recently showed that immunosurveillance by pre-existing CD44hiCD62Llow activated/memory Tregs (amTregs) specific for self-antigens protects emergent tumor cells in mice. This Treg response of a memory type is more rapid than and dominates the anti-tumor response of tumor-specific effector T cells. Here, we report striking similarities between the early Treg responses to embryo and tumor implantation. Tregs are (i) rapidly recruited to uterus-draining lymph nodes and activated in the first days after embryo implantation in both syngeneic and allogeneic matings; (ii) they express the markers of the amTreg subset; and (iii) are at least in part self-antigen-specific, as seen in tumor emergence. Unlike in the tumor emergence setting, however, for which pre-immunization against tumor antigens is sufficient for complete tumor eradication even in the presence of Tregs, Treg depletion is additionally required for high frequencies of fetus loss after pre-immunization against paternal tissue antigens. Thus, amTregs play a major role in protecting embryos in both naïve and pre-immune settings. This role and the ensuing therapeutic potential are further highlighted by showing that Treg stimulation, directly by low-dose interleukin-2 or indirectly by Fms-related tyrosine-kinase-3 ligand, lead to normal pregnancy rates in a spontaneous abortion-prone model.

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Intestinal tissue-resident memory CD8 T cells (Trm) are non-recirculating effector cells ideally positioned to detect and react to microbial infections in the gut mucosa. There is an emerging understanding of Trm cell differentiation and functions, but their implication in inflammatory bowel diseases, such as Crohn's disease (CD), is still unknown. Here, we describe CD8 cells in the human intestine expressing KLRG1 or CD103, two receptors of E-cadherin. While CD103 CD8 T cells are present in high numbers in the mucosa of CD patients and controls, KLRG1 CD8 T cells are increased in inflammatory conditions. Mucosal CD103 CD8 T cells are more responsive to TCR restimulation, but KLRG1 CD8 T cells show increased cytotoxic and proliferative potential. CD103 CD8 T cells originate mostly from KLRG1 negative cells after TCR triggering and TGFβ stimulation. Interestingly, mucosal CD103 CD8 T cells from CD patients display major changes in their transcriptomic landscape compared to controls. They express Th17 related genes including CCL20, IL22, and IL26, which could contribute to the pathogenesis of CD. Overall, these findings suggest that CD103 CD8 T cells in CD induce a tissue-wide alert increasing innate immune responses and recruitment of effector cells such as KLRG1 CD8 T cells.

The immunological features that distinguish COVID-19-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) from other causes of ARDS are incompletely understood. Here, we report the results of comparative lower respiratory tract transcriptional profiling of tracheal aspirate from 52 critically ill patients with ARDS from COVID-19 or from other etiologies, as well as controls without ARDS. In contrast to a “cytokine storm,” we observe reduced proinflammatory gene expression in COVID-19 ARDS when compared to ARDS due to other causes. COVID-19 ARDS is characterized by a dysregulated host response with increased PTEN signaling and elevated expression of genes with non-canonical roles in inflammation and immunity. In silico analysis of gene expression identifies several candidate drugs that may modulate gene expression in COVID-19 ARDS, including dexamethasone and granulocyte colony stimulating factor. Compared to ARDS due to other types of viral pneumonia, COVID-19 is characterized by impaired interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression. The relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral load and expression of ISGs is decoupled in patients with COVID-19 ARDS when compared to patients with mild COVID-19. In summary, assessment of host gene expression in the lower airways of patients reveals distinct immunological features of COVID-19 ARDS.