CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants

The expression of viral antigens in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection drives continuous liver inflammation, one of the main risk factors to develop liver cancer. HBV developed immune-suppressive functions to escape from the host immune system, but their link to liver tumor development is not...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Na Qiu, Akshaya Srikanth, Medhanie Mulaw, Umesh Tharehalli, Shanthiya Selvachandran, Martin Wagner, Thomas Seufferlein, Katja Stifter, André Lechel, Reinhold Schirmbeck
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2023-12-01
Series:OncoImmunology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2162402X.2023.2215096
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850059903069061120
author Na Qiu
Akshaya Srikanth
Medhanie Mulaw
Umesh Tharehalli
Shanthiya Selvachandran
Martin Wagner
Thomas Seufferlein
Katja Stifter
André Lechel
Reinhold Schirmbeck
author_facet Na Qiu
Akshaya Srikanth
Medhanie Mulaw
Umesh Tharehalli
Shanthiya Selvachandran
Martin Wagner
Thomas Seufferlein
Katja Stifter
André Lechel
Reinhold Schirmbeck
author_sort Na Qiu
collection DOAJ
description The expression of viral antigens in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection drives continuous liver inflammation, one of the main risk factors to develop liver cancer. HBV developed immune-suppressive functions to escape from the host immune system, but their link to liver tumor development is not well understood. Here, we analyzed if and how HBV surface antigen (HBs) expression in combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC/iCCA) cells influences their antigenicity for CD8 T cells. We randomly isolated liver tumor tissues from AlfpCre+-Trp53fl/fl/Alb-HBs+ tg mice and established primary carcinoma cell lines (pCCL) that showed a bilineal (CK7+/HNF4α+) cHCC/iCCA phenotype. These pCCL uniformly expressed HBs (HBshi), and low levels of MHC-I (MHC-Ilo), and were transiently convertible to a high antigenicity (MHC-Ihi) phenotype by IFN-γ treatment. HBshi/pCCL induced HBs/(Kb/S190–197)-specific CD8 T cells and developed slow-growing tumors in subcutaneously transplanted C57Bl/6J (B6) mice. Interestingly, pCCL-ex cells, established from HBshi/pCCL-induced and re-explanted tumors in B6 but not those in immune-deficient Rag1−/− mice showed major alterations, like an MHC-Ihi phenotype, a prominent growth-biased gene expression signature, a significantly decreased HBs expression (HBslo) and a switch to fast-growing tumors in re-transplanted B6 or PD-1−/− hosts with an unlocked PD-1/PD-L1 control system. CD8 T cell-mediated elimination of HBshi/pCCL, together with the attenuation of the negative restraints of HBs in the tumor cells, like ER-stress, reveals a novel mechanism to unleash highly aggressive HBslo/pCCL-ex immune-escape variants. Under certain conditions, HBs-specific CD8 T-cell responses thus potentiate tumor growth, an aspect that should be considered for therapeutic vaccination strategies against chronic HBV infection and liver tumors.
format Article
id doaj-art-43a5928ae6104fa09f96ae7fb1b43fc2
institution DOAJ
issn 2162-402X
language English
publishDate 2023-12-01
publisher Taylor & Francis Group
record_format Article
series OncoImmunology
spelling doaj-art-43a5928ae6104fa09f96ae7fb1b43fc22025-08-20T02:50:44ZengTaylor & Francis GroupOncoImmunology2162-402X2023-12-0112110.1080/2162402X.2023.2215096CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variantsNa Qiu0Akshaya Srikanth1Medhanie Mulaw2Umesh Tharehalli3Shanthiya Selvachandran4Martin Wagner5Thomas Seufferlein6Katja Stifter7André Lechel8Reinhold Schirmbeck9Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyUnit for single-cell Genomics, Medical Faculty, Ulm University, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyDepartment of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Ulm, Ulm, GermanyThe expression of viral antigens in chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection drives continuous liver inflammation, one of the main risk factors to develop liver cancer. HBV developed immune-suppressive functions to escape from the host immune system, but their link to liver tumor development is not well understood. Here, we analyzed if and how HBV surface antigen (HBs) expression in combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC/iCCA) cells influences their antigenicity for CD8 T cells. We randomly isolated liver tumor tissues from AlfpCre+-Trp53fl/fl/Alb-HBs+ tg mice and established primary carcinoma cell lines (pCCL) that showed a bilineal (CK7+/HNF4α+) cHCC/iCCA phenotype. These pCCL uniformly expressed HBs (HBshi), and low levels of MHC-I (MHC-Ilo), and were transiently convertible to a high antigenicity (MHC-Ihi) phenotype by IFN-γ treatment. HBshi/pCCL induced HBs/(Kb/S190–197)-specific CD8 T cells and developed slow-growing tumors in subcutaneously transplanted C57Bl/6J (B6) mice. Interestingly, pCCL-ex cells, established from HBshi/pCCL-induced and re-explanted tumors in B6 but not those in immune-deficient Rag1−/− mice showed major alterations, like an MHC-Ihi phenotype, a prominent growth-biased gene expression signature, a significantly decreased HBs expression (HBslo) and a switch to fast-growing tumors in re-transplanted B6 or PD-1−/− hosts with an unlocked PD-1/PD-L1 control system. CD8 T cell-mediated elimination of HBshi/pCCL, together with the attenuation of the negative restraints of HBs in the tumor cells, like ER-stress, reveals a novel mechanism to unleash highly aggressive HBslo/pCCL-ex immune-escape variants. Under certain conditions, HBs-specific CD8 T-cell responses thus potentiate tumor growth, an aspect that should be considered for therapeutic vaccination strategies against chronic HBV infection and liver tumors.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2162402X.2023.2215096CD8 T cellsER-stressHBV surface antigenimmune escape variantsliver carcinomatg mice
spellingShingle Na Qiu
Akshaya Srikanth
Medhanie Mulaw
Umesh Tharehalli
Shanthiya Selvachandran
Martin Wagner
Thomas Seufferlein
Katja Stifter
André Lechel
Reinhold Schirmbeck
CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
OncoImmunology
CD8 T cells
ER-stress
HBV surface antigen
immune escape variants
liver carcinoma
tg mice
title CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
title_full CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
title_fullStr CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
title_full_unstemmed CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
title_short CD8 T cell-mediated depletion of HBV surface-antigen-expressing, bilineal-differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
title_sort cd8 t cell mediated depletion of hbv surface antigen expressing bilineal differentiated liver carcinoma cells generates highly aggressive escape variants
topic CD8 T cells
ER-stress
HBV surface antigen
immune escape variants
liver carcinoma
tg mice
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2162402X.2023.2215096
work_keys_str_mv AT naqiu cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT akshayasrikanth cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT medhaniemulaw cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT umeshtharehalli cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT shanthiyaselvachandran cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT martinwagner cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT thomasseufferlein cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT katjastifter cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT andrelechel cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants
AT reinholdschirmbeck cd8tcellmediateddepletionofhbvsurfaceantigenexpressingbilinealdifferentiatedlivercarcinomacellsgenerateshighlyaggressiveescapevariants