Abstract
T-cell receptor sequencing (TCRseq) enables tracking of T-cell clonotypes recognizing the same antigen over time and across biological compartments. TCRseq has been used to test if cross-reactive antitumor T cells are responsible for development of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) following immune checkpoint blockade. Prior studies have interpreted T-cell clones shared among the tumor and irAE as evidence supporting this, but interpretations of these findings are challenging, given the constraints of TCRseq. Here we capitalize on a rare opportunity to understand the impact of potential confounders, such as sample size, tissue compartment, and collection batch/timepoint, on the relative proportion of shared T-cell clones between an irAE and tumor specimens. TCRseq was performed on tumor-involved and-uninvolved tissues, including an irAE, that were obtained throughout disease progression and at the time of rapid autopsy from a patient with renal cell carcinoma treated with programmed death-1 (PD-1) blockade. Our analyses show significant effects of these confounders on our ability to understand T-cell receptor overlap, and we present mitigation strategies and study design recommendations to reduce these errors. Implementation of these strategies will enable more rigorous TCRseq-based studies of immune responses in human tissues, particularly as they relate to antitumor T-cell cross-reactivity in irAEs following checkpoint blockade.
Original language | English (US) |
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Article number | e002642 |
Journal | Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer |
Volume | 9 |
Issue number | 7 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jul 6 2021 |
Keywords
- biostatistics
- immunologic
- immunologic techniques
- immunotherapy
- receptors
- t-lymphocytes
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology and Allergy
- Immunology
- Molecular Medicine
- Oncology
- Pharmacology
- Cancer Research