Resident and circulating memory T cells persist for years in melanoma patients with durable responses to immunotherapy

J Han, Y Zhao, K Shirai, A Molodtsov, FW Kolling… - Nature cancer, 2021 - nature.com
J Han, Y Zhao, K Shirai, A Molodtsov, FW Kolling, JL Fisher, P Zhang, S Yan, TG Searles…
Nature cancer, 2021nature.com
While T-cell responses to cancer immunotherapy have been avidly studied, long-lived
memory has been poorly characterized. In a cohort of metastatic melanoma survivors with
exceptional responses to immunotherapy, we probed memory CD8+ T-cell responses
across tissues, and across several years. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed three
subsets of resident memory T (TRM) cells shared between tumors and distant vitiligo-
affected skin. Paired T-cell receptor sequencing further identified clonotypes in tumors that …
Abstract
While T-cell responses to cancer immunotherapy have been avidly studied, long-lived memory has been poorly characterized. In a cohort of metastatic melanoma survivors with exceptional responses to immunotherapy, we probed memory CD8+ T-cell responses across tissues, and across several years. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed three subsets of resident memory T (TRM) cells shared between tumors and distant vitiligo-affected skin. Paired T-cell receptor sequencing further identified clonotypes in tumors that co-existed as TRM in skin and as effector memory T (TEM) cells in blood. Clonotypes that dispersed throughout tumor, skin and blood preferentially expressed an IFNG/TNF-high signature, which had a strong prognostic value for patients with melanoma. Remarkably, clonotypes from tumors were found in patient skin and blood up to 9 years later, with skin maintaining the most focused tumor-associated clonal repertoire. These studies reveal that cancer survivors can maintain durable memory as functional, broadly distributed TRM and TEM compartments.
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