Banerjee et al. showed that Tim3 expression on tumor-infiltrating Tregs was required for their survival and suppressive function via Akt-FOXO1 signaling. Treg-specific Tim3 deletion in an MC38 model reduced tumor-infiltrating Tregs and CD25 expression, impaired Treg survival, delayed CD8+ T cell exhaustion, enhanced CD8+ proliferation, and reduced tumor burden, without disrupting peripheral homeostasis. Delayed Tim3 deletion in Tregs was sufficient to slow tumor growth and augment CD8+ responses, and Treg-specific Tim3 loss synergized with ICB in a resistant B16F10 model. In HNSCC, low Tim3 expression correlated with response to anti-PD-1/Lag3 ICB.

Contributed by Shishir Pant

ABSTRACT: Regulatory T cells (Treg) act as a powerful barrier to effective antitumor immunity. Although manipulating Treg is a promising anticancer strategy, doing so while sparing general immune tolerance has been a challenge. Identifying factors specifically expressed in tumor-infiltrating Treg is therefore important for better understanding cancer pathogenesis and identifying novel therapeutic targets that enhance antitumor immunity. We show that T cell Immunoglobulin and Mucin 3 (Tim-3) expression on tumor Treg is required for the function and survival of these cells, in part through Akt and FOXO1 signaling. Deleting Tim-3 in Treg leads to delayed tumor-specific T-cell exhaustion and lower tumor burden, without altering peripheral homeostasis. Similar effects were noted when Tim-3 was only deleted from half of the Treg or when deletion was delayed until after tumor inoculation. Moreover, Treg-specific deletion of Tim-3 cooperated with PD-1 checkpoint blockade to sensitize an immunotherapy-resistant tumor model. In addition, a decrease in Tim-3+ tumor Treg correlated with responsiveness to PD-1/LAG-3 combination checkpoint blockade in a human clinical trial. Overall, our data provide evidence that Tim3-expressing Treg are a promising target to modulate tumor-specific immune responses.

Author Info: (1) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (2) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (3) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (4) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (5) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC United States. ROR: https://ror.org/0130frc33 (6) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (7) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (8) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (9) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. (10) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC United States. ROR: https://ror.org/0130frc33 (11) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305 (12) University of North Carolina Hospitals Chapel Hill, NC United States. ROR: https://ror.org/0355zfr67 (13) University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh, PA United States. ROR: https://ror.org/01an3r305