CD4+ T cells with convergent TCR recombination reprogram stroma and halt tumor progression in adoptive therapy

Abstract

Cancers eventually kill hosts even when infiltrated by cancer-specific T cells. We examined whether cancer-specific T cell receptors of CD4⁺ T cells (CD4TCRs) from tumor-bearing hosts can be exploited for adoptive TCR therapy. We focused on CD4TCRs targeting an autochthonous mutant neoantigen that is only presented by stroma surrounding the MHC class II–negative cancer cells. The 11 most common tetramer-sorted CD4TCRs were tested using TCR-engineered CD4⁺ T cells. Three TCRs were characterized by convergent recombination for which multiple T cell clonotypes differed in their nucleotide sequences but encoded identical TCR α and β chains. These preferentially selected TCRs destroyed tumors equally well and halted progression through reprogramming of the tumor stroma. TCRs represented by single T cell clonotypes were similarly effective only if they shared CDR elements with preferentially selected TCRs in both α and β chains. Selecting candidate TCRs on the basis of these characteristics can help identify TCRs that are potentially therapeutically effective.