Treatment of advanced tumors with agonistic anti-GITR mAb and its effects on tumor-infiltrating Foxp3+CD25+CD4+ regulatory T cells

K Ko, S Yamazaki, K Nakamura, T Nishioka… - The Journal of …, 2005 - rupress.org
K Ko, S Yamazaki, K Nakamura, T Nishioka, K Hirota, T Yamaguchi, J Shimizu, T Nomura…
The Journal of experimental medicine, 2005rupress.org
T cell stimulation via glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family–related
protein (GITR) can evoke effective tumor immunity. A single administration of agonistic anti-
GITR monoclonal antibody (mAb) to tumor-bearing mice intravenously or directly into tumors
provoked potent tumor-specific immunity and eradicated established tumors without eliciting
overt autoimmune disease. A large number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, including interferon
(IFN)-γ–secreting cells, infiltrated regressing tumors. Tumor-specific IFN-γ–secreting CD4+ …
T cell stimulation via glucocorticoid-induced tumor necrosis factor receptor family–related protein (GITR) can evoke effective tumor immunity. A single administration of agonistic anti-GITR monoclonal antibody (mAb) to tumor-bearing mice intravenously or directly into tumors provoked potent tumor-specific immunity and eradicated established tumors without eliciting overt autoimmune disease. A large number of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, including interferon (IFN)-γ–secreting cells, infiltrated regressing tumors. Tumor-specific IFN-γ–secreting CD4+ and CD8+ T cells also increased in the spleen. The treatment led to tumor rejection in IFN-γ–intact mice but not IFN-γ–deficient mice. Furthermore, coadministration of anti-GITR and anti–CTLA-4 mAbs had a synergistic effect, leading to eradication of more advanced tumors. In contrast, coadministration of anti-CD25 and anti-GITR mAbs was less effective than anti-GITR treatment alone, because anti-CD25 depleted both CD25+-activated effector T cells and CD25+CD4+ naturally occurring regulatory T (T reg) cells. Importantly, CD4+ T cells expressing the T reg–specific transcription factor Foxp3 predominantly infiltrated growing tumors in control mice, indicating that tumor-infiltrating natural Foxp3+CD25+CD4+ T reg cells may hamper the development of effective tumor immunity. Taken together, T cell stimulation through GITR attenuates T reg–mediated suppression or enhances tumor-killing by CD4+ and CD8+ effector T cells, including those secreting IFN-γ, or both. Agonistic anti-GITR mAb is therefore instrumental in treating advanced cancers.
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