Combined gene expression and digital pathology identifies molecular mediators of T cell exclusion and immune suppression in ovarian cancer
Close proximity between cytotoxic T lymphocytes and tumour cells is required for effective immunotherapy. However, what determines the spatial distribution of T cells in the tumour microenvironment is not well understood. Coupling digital pathology and transcriptome analysis on a large ovarian tumour cohort, we develop a machine learning approach to molecularly classify and characterize tumour-immune phenotypes. Our study identifies two important hallmarks characterizing T cell excluded tumours: 1) loss of antigen presentation on tumour cells and 2) upregulation of TGFb and activated stroma. Furthermore, we identify TGFb as a key mediator of T cell exclusion. TGFb reduces MHC-I expression in ovarian cancer cells in vitro; TGFb also activates fibroblasts and induced extracellular matrix (ECM) production as a potential physical barrier to hinder T cell infiltration. Our findings indicate that targeting TGFb may represent a promising strategy to overcome T cell exclusion and improve clinical benefits of cancer immunotherapy.
- Type: Other
- Archiver: European Genome-Phenome Archive (EGA)
Click on a Dataset ID in the table below to learn more, and to find out who to contact about access to these data
Dataset ID | Description | Technology | Samples |
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EGAD00001004988 | Illumina HiSeq 2500 | 370 |
Publications | Citations |
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Integrated digital pathology and transcriptome analysis identifies molecular mediators of T-cell exclusion in ovarian cancer.
Nat Commun 11: 2020 5583 |
90 |
In situ tumour arrays reveal early environmental control of cancer immunity.
Nature 618: 2023 827-833 |
9 |
Time-Dependent Changes in Risk of Progression During Use of Bevacizumab for Ovarian Cancer.
JAMA Netw Open 6: 2023 e2326834 |
5 |