Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor treatment potentiates immune checkpoint blockade through a BAFF- and IL-12-dependent reprogramming of the TME

Abstract

Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) treatment has shown clinical activity together with immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), but the exact mechanism is not known. We show that VEGF blockade in combination with anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4 (CTLA4) + anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) in cholangiocarcinoma (CCA) potentiated a multimodal mechanism dependent on B cell activating factor (BAFF), leading to a proinflammatory B cell response. It led to a BAFF- and interleukin (IL)-12-dependent expansion and rewiring of T regulatory cells (Tregs) toward an anti-tumor T helper-1 (Th-1)-like fragile state. We translated this approach to the clinic and observed immunological changes characterized by Treg cell expansion and rewiring toward fragile and unstable states. We explored the effect of VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) signaling on Treg cell transcriptional programming and established a mouse model ablating VEGFR2 expression on Treg cells. This study reveals the immunological interplay resulting from targeting VEGF together with CTLA-4 and PD-L1 blockade.