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Dynamics of regulatory T cells (T regs ) in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma
Author(s) -
Aggarwal Sadhna,
Sharma Suresh C.,
N.Das Satya
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of surgical oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.201
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1096-9098
pISSN - 0022-4790
DOI - 10.1002/jso.24782
Subject(s) - foxp3 , interleukin 7 receptor , il 2 receptor , medicine , cd8 , regulatory t cell , immunology , cancer research , c c chemokine receptor type 7 , flow cytometry , t cell , immune system , chemokine , chemokine receptor
Background and Objectives The immune dysfunction in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) patients is one of the major factors for growth and dissemination of tumor affecting disease‐free survival. Methods The phenotypic and functional characteristics of Regulatory T (T reg ) CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + subsets in OSCC patients were assessed by multicolor flow cytometry and its effector component (TGF‐β) by Western blot and qRT‐PCR. Results An increased ( P < 0.05) prevalence of T reg phenotypes (CD4 + CD25 + , CD4 + FoxP3 + , CD8 + FoxP3 + , CD4 + CD25 + FoxP3 + ) was observed in the peripheral circulation of OSCC patients that positively correlated with clinicopathological features. The increased frequency of CD4 + CD8 + CD25 + FoxP3 + , a unique T cell subset, CTLA‐4 + , GITR + , NrP1 + , HLA‐DR + , CD127 + , Tbet + , TGF‐β + , and granzyme B + (GzmB) T regs also showed a significantly higher prevalence in OSCC patients. Functionally, CD4 + FoxP3 + T regs showed skewed expression of IL‐2, IL‐10, and IL‐35 in patients as compared with the normal controls. Further, enhanced expression of CCR5 and CCR7 on T regs with up regulation of their ligands (CCL5, CCL19, and CCL21) in tumor cells indicates efficient recruitment and trafficking of T regs to the tumor site. Conclusion It seems reasonable to assume that modulation of functional dynamics of selective T reg subsets may be useful in developing immunotherapeutic strategy for OSCC patients.