[PDF][PDF] B cells and T follicular helper cells mediate response to checkpoint inhibitors in high mutation burden mouse models of breast cancer

DP Hollern, N Xu, A Thennavan, C Glodowski… - Cell, 2019 - cell.com
Cell, 2019cell.com
This study identifies mechanisms mediating responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors
using mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer. By creating new mammary tumor
models, we find that tumor mutation burden and specific immune cells are associated with
response. Further, we developed a rich resource of single-cell RNA-seq and bulk mRNA-
seq data of immunotherapy-treated and non-treated tumors from sensitive and resistant
murine models. Using this, we uncover that immune checkpoint therapy induces T follicular …
Summary
This study identifies mechanisms mediating responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors using mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer. By creating new mammary tumor models, we find that tumor mutation burden and specific immune cells are associated with response. Further, we developed a rich resource of single-cell RNA-seq and bulk mRNA-seq data of immunotherapy-treated and non-treated tumors from sensitive and resistant murine models. Using this, we uncover that immune checkpoint therapy induces T follicular helper cell activation of B cells to facilitate the anti-tumor response in these models. We also show that B cell activation of T cells and the generation of antibody are key to immunotherapy response and propose a new biomarker for immune checkpoint therapy. In total, this work presents resources of new preclinical models of breast cancer with large mRNA-seq and single-cell RNA-seq datasets annotated for sensitivity to therapy and uncovers new components of response to immune checkpoint inhibitors.
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