ONCOmmunity

Increased prevalence of interleukin-17-producing CD4(+) tumor infiltrating lymphocytes in human oral squamous cell carcinoma

By: Lee JJ, Chang YL, Lai WL, Ko JY, Kuo MY, Chiang CP, Azuma M, Chen CW, Chia JS.

Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
Head Neck. 2011 Sep; 33(9):1301-8. doi: 10.1002/hed.21607. Epub 2010 Nov 10.

Abstract

Background

T helper 17 (Th17) and regulatory T cells share plasticity in the expression of interleukin (IL)-17 and forkhead box P3 (FOXP3), but their mutual presence in human diseases is unclear.

Methods

IL-17 and FOXP3 were analyzed by immunohistostaining and flow cytometry. The cytokine milieu was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).

Results

Oral squamous cell carcinoma expresses high levels of IL-1β, IL-6, and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β. A unique subset of FOXP3(+) IL-17-producing CD4(+) T cells was consistently identified in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes from advanced stages of cancer, but not in the circulation, at a frequency of 0.5% to 5.5 % of total CD4(+) T and positively correlated with the frequency of IL-17(+)FOXP3(-) T cells. The IL-17(+)FOXP3(+) T cells express CCR6 and suppress the proliferation of autologous CD4(+) CD25(-) responder T-cells in vitro.

Conclusions

The prevalence of IL-17-producing FOXP3(+) CD4(+) tumor infiltrating lymphocytes is increased in oral squamous cell carcinoma.

PMID: 21837700 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Source: National Library of Medicine.