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Specificity and function of memory-phenotype CD8+ T cells in the tumor environment

Award Number: F30CA236061
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2019
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/12/2022

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Specificity and function of memory-phenotype CD8+ T cells in the tumor environment - PROJECT SUMMARY/ ABSTRACT Classically, memory T cells arise after a productive immune response to a foreign pathogen in the periphery, and are poised to respond more rapidly to repeated pathogen challenge. However, in mice that have never encountered foreign pathogens, there is a major subset of endogenous CD8+ T cells that express phenotypic markers of immunological memory, making up 10-20% of total peripheral CD8+ T cells. Despite the prevalence of this “memory phenotype” CD8+ T cell (CD8-MP) population, the nature of the antigens recognized by these cells and the anatomical sites in which they develop remain incompletely defined. Previous work has been limited to the study of bulk polyclonal CD8-MP cell populations, which may exhibit phenotypic and functional heterogeneity. This proposal seeks to elucidate fundamental aspects of the biology of CD8-MP cells at the clonal level. Using a unique clonal approach, this work seeks to elucidate the origin, antigen specificity, and function of CD8-MP cells at steady state and in the context of oncogene-driven prostate tumors. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that TCR recognition of endogenous self-ligands in the periphery drives the differentiation of CD8-MP clones, as well as the selective recruitment of these clonotypes into murine prostate tumors. The studies in Aim 1 will determine the extent to which CD8-MP differentiation is driven by TCR recognition of endogenous self-ligands and to elucidate whether CD8-MP differentiation occurs in the thymus or in the periphery. These studies are expected to demonstrate that a large fraction of CD8-MP cells express TCRs that recognize self-ligands presented by classical MHC class-I molecules in the periphery, which drives their differentiation into the CD8-MP subset. The studies in Aim 2 will define the contribution of CD8-MP cells to the pool of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes and determine the functional impact of CD8-MP cells on TRAMP prostate tumors. It is anticipated that CD8-MP clonotypes make up a substantial fraction of prostate tumor- infiltrating CD8+ T cells, suggesting that CD8-MP T cells reactive to non-mutated self-ligands may play a unique functional role in the tumor environment. Such evidence would help explain a long-standing conundrum in tumor immunology, in which T cells reactive to tumor-expressed neo-antigens, differentiation antigens, or cancer testis antigens can be detected in primary human tumors but are typically rare, indicating that the majority of tumor-infiltrating T cells have undefined specificities. Ultimately, understanding the biology of this prominent subset of CD8+ cells at homeostasis and in the tumor microenvironment will provide unique insight for future preclinical studies aimed at manipulating autologous CD8-MP cells for therapeutic benefit.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2024 ( Subtotal = -$25,225 )
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	4	10/31/2023	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	-$25,225
2024	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	4	8/1/2024	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$0
														Subtotal = -$25,225

Issue Date FY: 2022 ( Subtotal = $51,752 )
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	4	5/27/2022	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$716
2022	2022	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	4	11/11/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$51,036
														Subtotal = $51,752

Issue Date FY: 2021 ( Subtotal = $51,036 )
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	3	11/24/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$50,520
2021	2021	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	3	2/1/2021	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$516
														Subtotal = $51,036

Issue Date FY: 2020 ( Subtotal = $50,520 )
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	2	12/6/2019	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$50,016
2020	2020	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	2	2/20/2020	NON-COMPETING CONTINUATION	$504
														Subtotal = $50,520

Issue Date FY: 2019 ( Subtotal = $50,016 )
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	001	1	12/7/2018	NEW	$0
2019	2019	UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO, THE	5801 S ELLIS AVE	CHICAGO	IL	60637	COOK	USA	Cancer Research Manpower	000	1	12/7/2018	NEW	$50,016
														Subtotal = $50,016

Grand Total All Awards = $178,099

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Specificity and function of memory-phenotype CD8+ T cells in the tumor environment

Award Number: F30CA236061

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 01/01/2019

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/12/2022

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