Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression

Two seemingly incompatible models exist to explain the progression of cancers in immunocompetent hosts. The cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis posits that recognition of transformed cells by the immune system results in the generation of an effector response that may impede tumor growth. Clinicall...

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Main Authors: Zhou, Gang, Lu, Zhengbin, McCadden, John D., Levitsky, Hyam I., Marson, Aimee L.
Format: Online
Language:English
Published: The Rockefeller University Press 2004
Online Access:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2211996/
id pubmed-2211996
recordtype oai_dc
spelling pubmed-22119962008-03-11 Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression Zhou, Gang Lu, Zhengbin McCadden, John D. Levitsky, Hyam I. Marson, Aimee L. Article Two seemingly incompatible models exist to explain the progression of cancers in immunocompetent hosts. The cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis posits that recognition of transformed cells by the immune system results in the generation of an effector response that may impede tumor growth. Clinically detectable cancer results from the emergence of tumor variants that escape this selective pressure. Alternatively, induction of immune tolerance to tumor antigens may enable cancer progression. We established a model where changes in the function of tumor-specific T cells and in tumor antigen expression could be followed during cancer progression. Early recognition of antigen led to activation, expansion, and effector function in tumor-specific CD4+ T cells resulting in the outgrowth of tumors expressing substantially reduced levels of antigen. Antigen loss was not complete, however, and levels remained above the threshold required for tumor-specific T cell recognition in vivo. In the face of persisting antigen, T cell tolerance ensued, leading to an impaired ability to mediate further antigen loss. Together, these studies establish that the processes of immunosurveillance and tumor editing coexist with a process in which the functional tumor-specific T cell repertoire is also “edited,” reconciling two hypotheses historically central to our attempts to understand host antitumor immunity. The Rockefeller University Press 2004-12-20 /pmc/articles/PMC2211996/ /pubmed/15596524 http://dx.doi.org/10.1084/jem.20041240 Text en Copyright © 2004, The Rockefeller University Press This article is distributed under the terms of an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike–No Mirror Sites license for the first six months after the publication date (see http://www.rupress.org/terms). After six months it is available under a Creative Commons License (Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 4.0 Unported license, as described at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).
repository_type Open Access Journal
institution_category Foreign Institution
institution US National Center for Biotechnology Information
building NCBI PubMed
collection Online Access
language English
format Online
author Zhou, Gang
Lu, Zhengbin
McCadden, John D.
Levitsky, Hyam I.
Marson, Aimee L.
spellingShingle Zhou, Gang
Lu, Zhengbin
McCadden, John D.
Levitsky, Hyam I.
Marson, Aimee L.
Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
author_facet Zhou, Gang
Lu, Zhengbin
McCadden, John D.
Levitsky, Hyam I.
Marson, Aimee L.
author_sort Zhou, Gang
title Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
title_short Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
title_full Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
title_fullStr Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
title_full_unstemmed Reciprocal Changes in Tumor Antigenicity and Antigen-specific T Cell Function during Tumor Progression
title_sort reciprocal changes in tumor antigenicity and antigen-specific t cell function during tumor progression
description Two seemingly incompatible models exist to explain the progression of cancers in immunocompetent hosts. The cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis posits that recognition of transformed cells by the immune system results in the generation of an effector response that may impede tumor growth. Clinically detectable cancer results from the emergence of tumor variants that escape this selective pressure. Alternatively, induction of immune tolerance to tumor antigens may enable cancer progression. We established a model where changes in the function of tumor-specific T cells and in tumor antigen expression could be followed during cancer progression. Early recognition of antigen led to activation, expansion, and effector function in tumor-specific CD4+ T cells resulting in the outgrowth of tumors expressing substantially reduced levels of antigen. Antigen loss was not complete, however, and levels remained above the threshold required for tumor-specific T cell recognition in vivo. In the face of persisting antigen, T cell tolerance ensued, leading to an impaired ability to mediate further antigen loss. Together, these studies establish that the processes of immunosurveillance and tumor editing coexist with a process in which the functional tumor-specific T cell repertoire is also “edited,” reconciling two hypotheses historically central to our attempts to understand host antitumor immunity.
publisher The Rockefeller University Press
publishDate 2004
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2211996/
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