Gabriel Espinosa-Carrasco

T cell receptor (TCR) signal strength is a key determinant of T cell responses. We developed a cancer mouse model in which tumor-specific CD8 T cells (TST cells) encounter tumor antigens with varying TCR signal strength. High-signal-strength interactions caused TST cells to up-regulate inhibitory receptors (IRs), lose effector function, and establish a dysfunction-associated molecular program. TST cells undergoing low-signal-strength interactions also up-regulated IRs, including PD1, but retained a cell-intrinsic functional state. Surprisingly, neither high- nor low-signal-strength interactions led to tumor control in vivo, revealing two distinct mechanisms by which PD1hi TST cells permit tumor escape; high signal strength drives dysfunction, while low signal strength results in functional inertness, where the signal strength is too low to mediate effective cancer cell killing by functional TST cells. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated fine-tuning of signal strength to an intermediate range improved anti-tumor activity in vivo. Our study defines the role of TCR signal strength in TST cell function, with important implications for T cell-based cancer immunotherapies.

Significance CD8 + T lymphocytes, which are typically devoted to eliminate malignant and infected cells, have been described in the central nervous system (CNS) of patients and mice with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). However, their role in ALS pathogenesis has yet to be unraveled. Here, we show that ablation of CD8 + T cells in ALS mice increased the number of surviving motoneurons. CD8 + T cells expressing the ALS-causing superoxide dismutase-1 mutant protein recognize and selectively kill motoneurons in vitro. To exert their cytotoxic function, mutant CD8 + T cells required presentation of the antigen-MHC-I complex at the surface of the motoneurons. Analysis of T cell receptor diversity supports the evidence that self-reactive CD8 + T lymphocytes infiltrate the CNS of ALS mice to exert cytotoxic function.