[HTML][HTML] B cell signatures and tertiary lymphoid structures contribute to outcome in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

AT Ruffin, AR Cillo, T Tabib, A Liu, S Onkar… - Nature …, 2021 - nature.com
AT Ruffin, AR Cillo, T Tabib, A Liu, S Onkar, SR Kunning, C Lampenfeld, HI Atiya…
Nature communications, 2021nature.com
Current immunotherapy paradigms aim to reinvigorate CD8+ T cells, but the contribution of
humoral immunity to antitumor immunity remains understudied. Here, we demonstrate that in
head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) caused by human papillomavirus
infection (HPV+), patients have transcriptional signatures of germinal center (GC) tumor
infiltrating B cells (TIL-Bs) and spatial organization of immune cells consistent with tertiary
lymphoid structures (TLS) with GCs, both of which correlate with favorable outcome. GC TIL …
Abstract
Current immunotherapy paradigms aim to reinvigorate CD8+ T cells, but the contribution of humoral immunity to antitumor immunity remains understudied. Here, we demonstrate that in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) caused by human papillomavirus infection (HPV+), patients have transcriptional signatures of germinal center (GC) tumor infiltrating B cells (TIL-Bs) and spatial organization of immune cells consistent with tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) with GCs, both of which correlate with favorable outcome. GC TIL-Bs in HPV+ HNSCC are characterized by distinct waves of gene expression consistent with dark zone, light zone and a transitional state of GC B cells. Semaphorin 4a expression is enhanced on GC TIL-Bs present in TLS of HPV+ HNSCC and during the differentiation of TIL-Bs. Our study suggests that therapeutics to enhance TIL-B responses in HNSCC should be prioritized in future studies to determine if they can complement current T cell mediated immunotherapies.
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