Tumor-associated immunosuppression aids cancer cells to escape immune-mediated attack and subsequent elimination. Recently, however, many oncolytic viruses, including reovirus, have been reported to overturn such immunosuppression and promote the development of a clinically desired antitumor immunity, which is known to promote favorable patient outcomes. Contrary to this existing paradigm, in this article we demonstrate that reovirus augments tumor-associated immunosuppression immediately following its therapeutic administration. Our data show that reovirus induces preferential differentiation of highly suppressive CD11b(+), Gr-1(+), Ly6C(high) myeloid cells from bone marrow hematopoietic progenitor cells. Furthermore, reovirus administration in tumor-bearing hosts drives time-dependent recruitment of CD11b(+), Gr-1(+), Ly6C(high) myeloid cells in the tumor milieu, which is further supported by virus-induced increased expression of numerous immune factors involved in myeloid-derived suppressor cell survival and trafficking. Most importantly, CD11b(+), Gr-1(+), Ly6C(high) myeloid cells specifically potentiate the suppression of T cell proliferation and are associated with the absence of IFN-γ response in the tumor microenvironment early during oncotherapy. Considering that the qualitative traits of a specific antitumor immunity are largely dictated by the immunological events that precede its development, our findings are of critical importance and must be considered while devising complementary interventions aimed at promoting the optimum efficacy of oncolytic virus-based anticancer immunotherapies.
Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.