Bone marrow contains melanoma-reactive CD8+ effector T cells and, compared with peripheral blood, enriched numbers of melanoma-reactive CD8+ memory T cells

Cancer Res. 2003 Sep 1;63(17):5582-6.

Abstract

Circulating melanoma-specific T cells can be frequently detected in patients with melanoma. Effective T-cell immunity and tumor surveillance, however, requires the presence of specific T cells in tissues populated by tumor cells. The bone marrow (BM) is a compartment frequently harboring micrometastatic tumor cells. Here, we compared directly ex vivo in peripheral blood (PB) and BM frequencies and differentiation phenotypes of T cells reactive with the melanoma-associated antigen tyrosinase and with autologous melanoma cells. Using intracellular cytokine and tetramer staining, we detected tyrosinase- and melanoma-reactive CD3+CD8+ T cells in the BM in similar or enhanced frequencies as in PB. Additional characterization of the differentiation subset using CD45RA and CCR7 revealed the presence of specific effector and memory T cells in the BM in all five patients analyzed. Remarkably, the frequency of tyrosinase- and melanoma-specific memory T cells was significantly increased in BM compared with PB. Thus, the BM may be an important compartment for tumor surveillance harboring a tumor-specific memory T-cell pool in addition to effector T cells.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bone Marrow Cells / cytology
  • Bone Marrow Cells / immunology*
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Eye Neoplasms / blood
  • Eye Neoplasms / immunology
  • Eye Neoplasms / pathology
  • Humans
  • Immunologic Memory / immunology
  • Melanoma / blood
  • Melanoma / immunology*
  • Melanoma / pathology
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / blood
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase / immunology
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / biosynthesis
  • Receptors, CXCR4 / immunology
  • Skin Neoplasms / blood
  • Skin Neoplasms / immunology
  • Skin Neoplasms / pathology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / enzymology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / metabolism

Substances

  • Receptors, CXCR4
  • Monophenol Monooxygenase