A different representation of natural T cells and natural killer cells between tumor-infiltrating and periphery lymphocytes in human hepatocellular carcinoma

• Published in: Oncology letters Vol. 13; no. 5; pp. 3291 - 3298
• Main Authors: Li, Xiao-Feng, Dai, Dong, Song, Xiu-Yu, Liu, Jian-Jing, Zhu, Lei, Zhu, Xiang, Ma, Wenchao, Xu, Wengui
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece D.A. Spandidos 01.05.2017
• Subjects: natural killer cells; regulatory T cell; human hepatocellular carcinoma; natural T cells
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.5808

Natural T cells [cluster of differentiation (CD) 3 CD56 ] and natural killer (NK) cells (CD3 CD56 ) are particularly abundant in the human liver and serve an important role in immune responses in the liver. The aim of the present study was to extensively determine the phenotypic and functional characteristics of natural T and NK cells in human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Tumorous and non-tumorous tissue infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs and NILs, respectively) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) were obtained to determine the frequency and phenotype of natural T/NK cells by a multicolor fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis. The abundance of natural T cells and NK cells was decreased in TILs vs. NILs (natural T cells, 6.315±1.002 vs. 17.16±1.804; NK cells, 6.324±1.559 vs. 14.52±2.336, respectively). However such results were not observed in PBMCs from HCC patients vs. that of healthy donors. Notably, a substantial fraction of the natural T cells (21.96±5.283) in TILs acquired forkhead box P3 (FOXP3) expression, and the FOXP3 natural T cells lost the expression of interferon-γ and perforin. Conversely, being similar to the conventional FOXP3 regulatory T cells, the FOXP3 natural T cells assumed a specific phenotype that was characteristic of CD25 , CD45RO and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 . Consistent with the phenotypic conversion, the present functional results indicate that FOXP3 expression in natural T cells contributes to the acquisition of a potent immunosuppressive capability. In conclusion, the present study describes a different representation of natural T cells and NK cells in local tumor tissues and in the periphery blood of patients with HCC, and identified a new type of FOXP3-expressing natural T cell spontaneously arising in the TILs of HCC.