The differentiation and plasticity of Tc17 cells are regulated by CTLA-4-mediated effects on STATs.

ABSTRACTAs the blockade of inhibitory surface-molecules such as CTLA-4 on T cells has led to recent advances in antitumor immune therapy, there is great interest in identifying novel mechanisms of action of CD8+ T cells to evoke effective cytotoxic antitumor responses. Using in vitro and in vivo models, we investigated the molecular pathways underlying the CTLA-4-mediated differentiation of IL-17-producing CD8+ T cells (Tc17 cells) that strongly impairs cytotoxicity. Our studies demonstrate that Tc17 cells lacking CTLA-4 signaling have limited production of STAT3-target gene products such as IL-17, IL-21, IL-23R and RORγt. Upon re-stimulation with IL-12, these cells display fast downregulation of Tc17 hallmarks and acquire Tc1 characteristics such as IFNγ and TNF-α co-expression, which is known to correlate with tumor control. Indeed, upon adoptive transfer, these cells were highly efficient in the antigen-specific rejection of established OVA-expressing B16 melanoma in vivo. Mechanistically, in primary a...