Higher Levels Of LAG-3 Research Articles

Expression and Prognostic Significance of LAG-3, TIGIT, VISTA, and IDO1 in Endometrial Serous Carcinoma

Endometrial serous carcinoma (ESC) is an uncommon, aggressive type of endometrial cancer. While immune checkpoint blockade has emerged as a promising treatment option for endometrial carcinomas, research on the expression of immune checkpoints that could serve as prospective immunotherapy targets in ESC is limited. We examined the prevalence and prognostic value of LAG-3, TIGIT, VISTA, and IDO1 in 94 cases of ESC and correlated their expression with CD8+ and FOXP3+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL). We observed a positive correlation between LAG-3, TIGIT and VISTA expressed on immune cells, and between these markers and CD8+ and FOXP3+ TIL density. In Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, tumors with high levels of LAG-3 and TIGIT expression had better progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) than those with lower levels of expression (LAG-3: PFS, p=0.03, OS, p=0.04; TIGIT: PFS, p=0.01, OS, p=0.009). In multivariate analysis, only high TIGIT expression was of independent prognostic value for better overall survival. VISTA expression in immune or tumor cells, and IDO1 expression in tumor cells, did not show a significant association with survival. Our data indicate that LAG-3, TIGIT, and VISTA immune checkpoints have roles in the microenvironment of ESC, and their expression patterns highlight the complex interactions among the different components of this system. High levels of these markers, together with high CD8+ TIL, suggests the potential immunogenicity of a subset of these tumors. Further studies are needed to elucidate the roles of various immune components in the ESC microenvironment and their association with intrinsic tumor properties.

Dynamic changes in B cell subpopulations in response to triple-negative breast cancer development

Despite presenting a worse prognosis and being associated with highly aggressive tumors, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is characterized by the higher frequency of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, which have been implicated in better overall survival and response to therapy. Though recent studies have reported the capacity of B lymphocytes to recognize overly-expressed normal proteins, and tumor-associated antigens, how tumor development potentially modifies B cell response is yet to be elucidated. Our findings reveal distinct effects of 4T1 and E0771 murine tumor development on B cells in secondary lymphoid organs. Notably, we observe a significant expansion of total B cells and plasma cells in the tumor-draining lymph nodes (tDLNs) as early as 7 days after tumor challenge in both murine models, whereas changes in the spleen are less pronounced. Surprisingly, within the tumor microenvironment (TME) of both models, we detect distinct B cell subpopulations, but tumor development does not appear to cause major alterations in their frequency over time. Furthermore, our investigation into B cell regulatory phenotypes highlights that the B10 Breg phenotype remains unaffected in the evaluated tissues. Most importantly, we identified an increase in CD19 + LAG-3 + cells in tDLNs of both murine models. Interestingly, although CD19 + LAG-3 + cells represent a minor subset of total B cells (< 3%) in all evaluated tissues, most of these cells exhibit elevated expression of IgD, suggesting that LAG-3 may serve as an activation marker for B cells. Corroborating with these findings, we detected distinct cell cycle and proliferation genes alongside LAG-3 analyzing scRNA-Seq data from a cohort of TNBC patients. More importantly, our study suggests that the presence of LAG-3 B cells in breast tumors could be associated with a good prognosis, as patients with higher levels of LAG-3 B cell transcripts had a longer progression-free interval (PFI). This novel insight could pave the way for targeted therapies that harness the unique properties of LAG-3 + B cells, potentially offering new avenues for improving patient outcomes in TNBC. Further research is warranted to unravel the mechanistic pathways of these cells and to validate their prognostic value in larger, diverse patient cohorts.

Characterisation of the protein expression of the emerging immunotherapy targets VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME in primary uveal melanoma: insights from a southern French patient cohort

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intraocular tumour in adults, with dismal prognosis once metastases develop, since therapeutic options for the metastatic disease are ineffective. Over the past decade, novel cancer therapies based on immunotherapy have changed the landscape of treatment of different forms of cancer leading to many hopes of improvement in patient overall survival (OS). VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME are novel promising targets of immunotherapy that have recently gained attention in different solid tumours, but whose relevance in UM remained to be comprehensively evaluated until now. Here, we studied the protein expression of VISTA, LAG-3 and PRAME using immunohistochemistry in representative whole tissue sections from primary UM cases in a cohort of 30 patients from a single centre (Nice University Hospital, Nice, France). The expression of each of these markers was correlated with different clinical and pathological parameters, including onset of metastases and OS. We demonstrated the protein expression of VISTA and LAG-3 in small lymphocytes infiltrating the tumour, while no expression of the proteins was detected in UM cells. For PRAME, nuclear expression was observed in UM cells, but no expression in tumour infiltrating immune cells was identified. Increased levels of VISTA expression in tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were associated with nuclear BAP1 expression and better prognosis. Higher levels of LAG-3 in TILs were associated with higher levels of CD8-positive TILs. PRAME nuclear positivity in melanoma cells was associated with epithelioid cell dominant (>90%) UM histological subtype, higher mitotic numbers and a higher percentage of chromosome 8q gain. This study proposes VISTA as a novel relevant immune checkpoint molecule in primary UM and contributes to confirm LAG-3 and PRAME as potentially important immunotherapy targets in the treatment of UM patients, helping to expand the number of immunotherapy candidate molecules that are relevant to modulate in this aggressive cancer.

LAG3-related factors to predict response to nivolumab monotherapy in advanced gastric cancer (WJOG10417GTR study).

425 Background: Blocking immune checkpoint (IC) pathways, particularly mediated by PD1 and PDL1, has attracted great attention as a promising strategy for treating gastrointestinal cancer. However, the clinical responses are low in many cases, and thus a new treatment strategy and its biomarker are urgently needed for improving the clinical outcome. Blocking other IC molecules, including LAG3, has been evaluated in many clinical trials, while the therapeutic efficacy and the predictive biomarkers remains to be determined due to the same issues as anti-PD1/PDL1 therapy. Methods: We analyzed soluble LAG3 (sLAG3) in sera by ELISA, and LAG3+ cells by flow cytometry, using fresh peripheral blood (PB) obtained from 91 patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) before and about one month after nivolumab monotherapy (2 courses) in the WJOG10417GTR study, according to the protocol approved by the IRB (August 2018 - November 2020). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between high/low groups divided by the cutoff value determined by visually assessing the continuous trend and change point of log hazard ratios obtained by applying penalized splines to each molecular marker. This study was supported by ONO PHARMACEUTICAL CO., LTD. and Bristol Myers Squibb. Results: Posttreatment values were significantly more associated with patients’ prognosis rather than baseline values, and the sLAG3-high group showed significantly shorter PFS/OS as compared to the low group divided by the median: median PFS (mPFS) 51.5 vs 95.5 days (HR = 2.04, P = 0.002), and median OS (mOS) 188 vs 393 days (HR = 1.81, P = 0.032). Patients with high levels of LAG3+ PBCs after treatment showed worse prognosis as compared to those with low levels divided by the cutoff values: a CD3+CD4+LAG3+ T-cell subset, mPFS 43 vs 72 days (HR = 2.23, P = 0.015) and mOS 178 vs 282 days (HR = 1.56, P = 0.249); a CD3+CD8+LAG3+ T-cell subset, mPFS 57 vs 69 days (HR = 1.89, P = 0.012) and mOS 228 vs 303 days (HR = 1.40, P = 0.233); and a CD56+LAG3+ NK subset, mPFS 57 vs 88 days (HR = 2.15, P = 0.003) and mOS 217 vs 409 days (HR = 1.88, P = 0.031). Patients with sLAG3-high/CD56+LAG3+ NK-high levels showed markedly worse prognosis than those with low/low levels (mPFS-HR = 10.55, P &lt; 0.001; and mOS-HR = 4.59, P &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Patients with posttreatment high levels of sLAG3 and LAG3+ cells in PB showed poor prognosis of AGC patients after the nivolumab therapy, suggesting that these are useful predictive biomarkers. LAG3 may be a promising target in immunotherapy for AGC. Clinical trial information: UMIN000032686 .

A Phase 1, Open-Label Study of MGD013, a Bispecific DART® Molecule Binding PD-1 and LAG-3 in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

Background: MGD013 is an investigational, first-in-class, Fc-bearing bispecific tetravalent DART molecule designed to bind PD-1 and LAG-3 and sustain/restore the function of exhausted T cells (1). MGD013 demonstrates in vitro ligand blocking properties and improved T-cell responses beyond that observed with anti-PD-1 and anti-LAG-3 benchmark antibodies alone or in combination. PD-1 targeted therapy with nivolumab in patients (pts) with relapsed or refractory (R/R) diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has yielded modest efficacy (2). LAG-3, highly expressed in DLBCL (3), has emerged as another therapeutic target of interest in this population with continued unmet need. Methods: This study characterizes the safety, tolerability, dose-limiting toxicities, maximum tolerated dose, PK/PD, and antitumor activity of MGD013 in pts with advanced solid and hematologic malignancies. R/R DLBCL pts are being treated at the recommended Phase 2 dose of 600 mg every two weeks in Cohort Expansion. Results: At data-cutoff, 17 DLBCL pts received MGD013 (2.5 median prior lines of therapy, 41.2% with prior CAR-T therapy). Treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) occurred in 11/17 (64.7%) pts, with no same TRAE occurring in &amp;gt; 1 patient except pyrexia (n=3). One grade ≥ 3 TRAE occurred (pneumonia), and no events of tumor lysis syndrome were observed. Among 11 response-evaluable pts (i.e. received at least one on-treatment scan), 1 complete response (CR) and 3 partial responses (PRs) per the Lugano Classification were observed. Analyses of available pre-treatment tumor biopsy samples corresponding to responding pts demonstrated relatively high levels of LAG-3, PD-1, and PD-L1 by IHC. More comprehensive translational analyses were undertaken for the pt with CR, observed after a single MGD013 infusion in a 28-year-old male in relapse 6 months after CD19-directed CAR T-cell therapy. In contrast to a pre-CAR T biopsy specimen demonstrating no LAG-3 or PD-1 expression, IHC analysis of a lymph node specimen biopsied post-CAR T and prior to MGD013 treatment revealed high levels of both LAG-3 and PD-1 on both infiltrating T-cells and malignant B-cells. Consistent with CD19 CAR T resistance, no CD19 expression was evident. MHC class II and PD-L1 expression were observed, which when bound to LAG-3 and PD-1, respectively, form immune checkpoints that can decrease T cell function. Following MGD013 treatment, serum IFN-γ markedly increased to &amp;gt;140-fold above baseline. No significant changes were observed for IL-6 or IL-2. Expansion of circulating CD3+CD8+ and CD3+CD4-CD8- T-cell subsets and associated cytolytic markers (i.e., perforin, granzyme B) were observed following MGD013 treatment. The patient underwent allogeneic stem cell transplant (allo-SCT) and remains in remission 14 months post-MGD013 and 12 months post-allo-SCT. Further correlative biomarker analyses are underway in the ongoing clinical trial. Conclusion: MGD013, a novel molecule designed to coordinately block PD-1 and LAG-3, has preliminarily demonstrated an acceptable safety profile and encouraging early evidence of anti-tumor activity in R/R DLBCL pts with and without prior treatment with CAR T. Biomarker analyses confirmed expression of both PD-1 and LAG-3 axes in responding pts with evidence of pharmacodynamic responses consistent with the ability of MGD013 to enhance T-cell function.

Spatial Distribution and Prognostic Implications of Tumor-Infiltrating FoxP3- CD4+ T Cells in Biliary Tract Cancer.

PurposeThe clinical implications of tumor-infiltrating T cell subsets and their spatial distribution in biliary tract cancer (BTC) patients treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin were investigated.Materials and MethodsA total of 52 BTC patients treated with palliative gemcitabine plus cisplatin were included. Multiplexed immunohistochemistry was performed on tumor tissues, and immune infiltrates were separately analyzed for the stroma, tumor margin, and tumor core.ResultsThe density of CD8+ T cells, FoxP3− CD4+ helper T cells, and FoxP3+ CD4+ regulatory T cells was significantly higher in the tumor margin than in the stroma and tumor core. The density of LAG3- or TIM3-expressing CD8+ T cell and FoxP3− CD4+ helper T cell infiltrates was also higher in the tumor margin. In extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma, there was a higher density of T cell subsets in the tumor core and regulatory T cells in all regions. A high density of FoxP3− CD4+ helper T cells in the tumor margin showed a trend toward better progression-free survival (PFS) (p=0.092) and significantly better overall survival (OS) (p=0.012). In multivariate analyses, a high density of FoxP3− CD4+ helper T cells in the tumor margin was independently associated with favorable PFS and OS.ConclusionThe tumor margin is the major site for the active infiltration of T cell subsets with higher levels of LAG3 and TIM3 expression in BTC. The density of tumor margin-infiltrating FoxP3− CD4+ helper T cells may be associated with clinical outcomes in BTC patients treated with gemcitabine plus cisplatin.

Expression and clinical significance of LAG-3, FGL1, PD-L1 and CD8+T cells in hepatocellular carcinoma using multiplex quantitative analysis

BackgroundFibrinogen-like protein 1 (FGL1)—Lymphocyte activating gene 3 (LAG-3) pathway is a promising immunotherapeutic target and has synergistic effect with programmed death 1 (PD-1)/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1). However, the prognostic significance of FGL1-LAG-3 pathway and the correlation with PD-L1 in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remain unknown.MethodsThe levels of LAG-3, FGL1, PD-L1 and cytotoxic T (CD8+T) cells in 143 HCC patients were assessed by multiplex immunofluorescence. Associations between the marker’s expression and clinical significances were studied.ResultsWe found FGL1 and LAG-3 densities were elevated while PD-L1 and CD8 were decreased in HCC tissues compared to adjacent normal liver tissues. High levels of FGL1 were strongly associated with high densities of LAG-3+cells but not PD-L1. CD8+ T cells densities had positive correlation with PD-L1 levels and negative association with FGL1 expression. Elevated densities of LAG-3+cells and low levels of CD8+ T cells were correlated with poor disease outcome. Moreover, LAG-3+cells deteriorated patient stratification based on the abundance of CD8+ T cells. Patients with positive PD-L1 expression on tumor cells (PD-L1 TC+) tended to have an improved survival than that with negative PD-L1 expression on tumor cells (PD-L1 TC−). Furthermore, PD-L1 TC− in combination with high densities of LAG-3+cells showed the worst prognosis, andPD-L1 TC+ patients with low densities of LAG-3+cells had the best prognosis.ConclusionsLAG-3, FGL1, PD-L1 and CD8 have distinct tissue distribution and relationships with each other. High levels of LAG-3+cells and CD8+ T cells represent unfavorable and favorable prognostic biomarkers for HCC respectively.

Abstract 2104: Near-infrared fluorescent tumor histology for multiplexed phenotypic identification of immunosuppressive cells

Abstract The purpose of our study was to develop near-infrared fluorophore-labeled antibodies to overcome autofluorescence interference in the visible spectrum, thereby enabling enhanced multiplexed identification of immune cells in human tumor tissue sections. Towards multiplexing, we conjugated each monoclonal primary antibody to a unique hapten tag. Detection of hapten-tagged primary antibodies was accomplished using high-affinity anti-hapten rabbit monoclonal secondary antibodies, which were each conjugated to a near-infrared fluorophore with Emax = 594, 650, 731, or 800 nm. For identification of immunosuppressive cells in tumor tissues, we used formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded human tissue microarrays comprising malignant breast or prostate tumor core sections. Microarrays contained 12-60 patient biopsy cores with duplicate sections per case mounted on standard glass slides. Two antibody panels to detect immunosuppressive cell phenotypes were used in our study. The T regulatory panel targeted the antigens CD4, CD8, FOXP3, and LAG-3, allowing for phenotypic identification of CD4+ T helper cells, CD8+ cytotoxic T cells, CD4+ FOXP3+ Tregs, and highly immunosuppressive CD4+ FOXP3+ LAG-3+ Tregs. The macrophage panel targeted the antigens CD3, CD20, CD68, and CD163 for identification of CD3+ T cells, CD20+ B cells, CD68+ M1 macrophages, and highly immunosuppressive CD163+ M2 macrophages. Widefield fluorescence microscopy was used to image the stained tumor microarrays, utilizing a high-radiance mercury arc lamp, high-sensitivity digital CMOS camera, and single-band optical filter sets to detect near-infrared fluorescence. Triplicate images were taken per tissue core. Prior to image analysis, a spectral unmixing algorithm was created using a reference set of single-stained tissue slides in order to deconvolute minor spectral overlap of near-infrared fluorophores. The algorithm was then applied to the multiplexed digital raw images, and immunophenotyping analysis was conducted to enumerate cells of interest. Image analysis results indicated unique patterns of distribution of immune cells in tumor tissues correlated with tumor grade and stage. In breast cancer tissues, higher levels of LAG-3+ immunosuppressive cells were found in tumors of the aggressive, treatment-resistant "triple-negative" tumor subtype. In prostate cancer tissues, an increase in CD68+ macrophages and loss of immunostimulatory CD3+ T cells and CD20+ B cells were found to be associated with advanced tumor grade and Gleason score. The use of near-infrared fluorophores and hapten-tagged detection antibodies facilitated enhanced, rapid multiplexed phenotyping of immunosuppressive cells in tumor tissue. These findings demonstrate our approach to be a potentially paradigm-shifting technology for detection of immune infiltrates in patient samples. Citation Format: Amy Flor, Annalise Vaccarello, Matt Levin, Helen Snyder, David Schwartz, Stephen Kron. Near-infrared fluorescent tumor histology for multiplexed phenotypic identification of immunosuppressive cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 2104.

Polyfunctional Melan-A-specific tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells elicited by dacarbazine treatment before peptide-vaccination depends on AKT activation sustained by ICOS

ABSTRACTThe identification of activation pathways linked to antitumor T-cell polyfunctionality in long surviving patients is of great relevance in the new era of immunotherapy. We have recently reported that dacarbazine (DTIC) injected one day before peptide-vaccination plus IFN-α improves the antitumor lytic activity and enlarges the repertoire of Melan-A-specific T-cell clones, as compared with vaccination alone, impacting the overall survival of melanoma patients. To identify the mechanisms responsible for this improvement of the immune response, we have analyzed the endogenous and treatment-induced antigen (Ag)-specific response in a panel of Melan-A-specific CD8+ T-cell clones in terms of differentiation phenotype, inhibitory receptor profile, polyfunctionality and AKT activation. Here, we show that Melan-A-specific CD8+ T cells isolated from patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy possess a late differentiated phenotype as defined by the absence of CD28 and CD27 co-stimulatory molecules and high levels of LAG-3, TIM-3 and PD-1 inhibitory receptors. Nevertheless, they show higher proliferative potential and an improved antitumor polyfunctional effector profile in terms of co-production of TNF-α, IFNγ and Granzyme-B (GrB) compared with cells derived from patients treated with vaccination alone. Polyfunctionality is dependent on an active AKT signaling related to the engagement of the co-stimulatory molecule ICOS. We suggest that this phenotypic and functional signature is dictated by a fine-tuned balance between TCR triggering, AKT activation, co-stimulatory and inhibitory signals induced by chemoimmunotherapy and may be associated with antitumor T cells able to protect patients from tumor recurrence.