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Immune Compartmentalization of T cell Subsets in Chemically‐induced Breast Cancer
Author(s) -
Fahmi T.,
Esendagli G.,
Yilmaz G.,
Kansu E.,
Guc D.
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of immunology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.934
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1365-3083
pISSN - 0300-9475
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3083.2010.02447.x
Subject(s) - immune system , foxp3 , cd8 , mammary tumor , cytotoxic t cell , spleen , il 2 receptor , biology , tumor microenvironment , lymph , cancer research , t cell , lymph node , immunology , breast cancer , cancer , pathology , medicine , in vitro , biochemistry , genetics
In cancer, the phenotype and/or the function of T cells may differ according to their distribution through immune‐associated tissues, namely immune compartments. Here, in N ‐methyl‐ N ‐nitrosourea (MNU)‐induced mammary carcinomas of rat as a relevant model for human breast tumors, the impact of tumor burden on the T cell subsets populating the tumor microenvironment, the tumor‐adjacent and ‐opposite mammary lymph nodes, and the spleen was assessed. In the tumors, ratio of CD8 + cytotoxic and CD4 + helper T cells were not significantly different than other immune compartments. On the other hand, most of these cells were further identified with CD4 + CD25 hi or CD4 + Foxp3 + , CD8 + Foxp3 + regulatory phenotype. The selective presence of Tregs in the mammary tumors but not in neighboring‐mammary tissue was also confirmed by the expression of Treg‐associated genes. The percentage of CD161 + NKT cells was also significantly increased especially in the tumors and mammary lymph nodes. In the lymph nodes of tumor‐bearing animals, in contrast to the spleen, total amount of CD8 + cells and CD4 + cells were increased but both of these compartments harbored high numbers of CD4 + CD25 hi Treg cells. TGF‐β was determined as the major suppressive cytokine secreted by the immune cells of tumor‐bearing animals, in addition, proliferation capacity of the T cells was diminished. Hence, the differential distribution of T cell subsets through the spleen, the mammary lymph nodes and the tumor mass in MNU‐induced mammary tumor‐bearing animals may contribute to a tumor‐associated immunosuppression.