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Thoas Fioretos

Thoas Fioretos

Research team manager

Thoas Fioretos

Distinct Infiltration of T Cell Populations in Bladder Cancer Molecular Subtypes

Author

  • Viktor Sincic
  • Ken F. Arlenhold
  • Sarah Richtmann
  • Henrik Lilljebjörn
  • Pontus Eriksson
  • Gottfrid Sjödahl
  • Mats Wokander
  • Karin Hägerbrand
  • Peter Ellmark
  • Thoas Fioretos
  • Carl A.K. Borrebaeck
  • Fredrik Liedberg
  • Kristina Lundberg
Show all

Summary, in English

Bladder cancer is a heterogenous disease, and molecular subtyping is a promising method to capture this variability. Currently, the immune compartment in relation to subtypes is poorly characterized. Here, we analyzed the immune compartment in bladder tumors and normal bladder urothelium with a focus on T cell subpopulations using flow cytometry and RNA sequencing. The results were investigated in relation to tumor invasiveness (NMIBC/MIBC) and molecular subtypes according to the Lund Taxonomy system. Whereas the NMIBC/MIBC differed in the overall immune infiltration only, the molecular subtypes differed both in terms of immune infiltration and immune compartment compositions. The Basal/Squamous (Ba/Sq) and genomically unstable (GU) tumors displayed increased immune infiltration compared to urothelial-like (Uro) tumors. Additionally, the GU tumors had a higher proportion of regulatory T cells within the immune compartment compared to Uro tumors. Furthermore, sequencing showed higher levels of exhaustion in CD8+ T cells from GU tumors compared to both Uro tumors and the control. Although no such difference was detected at the transcriptomic level in Uro tumors compared to the controls, CD8+ T cells in Uro tumors showed higher expression of several exhaustion markers at the protein level. Taken together, our findings indicate that depending on the molecular subtype, different immunotherapeutic interventions might be warranted.

Department/s

  • LTH Profile Area: Engineering Health
  • LUCC: Lund University Cancer Centre
  • Department of Immunotechnology
  • Translational Genomic and Functional Studies of Leukemia
  • Division of Clinical Genetics
  • Urothelial cancer
  • Urothelial Cancer Genomics
  • Urology - urothelial cancer, Malmö
  • Create Health
  • Biotechnology (M.Sc.Eng.)

Publishing year

2024-06

Language

English

Publication/Series

Cells

Volume

13

Issue

11

Document type

Journal article

Publisher

MDPI AG

Topic

  • Cancer and Oncology

Keywords

  • bladder cancer
  • exhaustion
  • immunotherapy
  • molecular subtypes
  • T cell population

Status

Published

Research group

  • Translational Genomic and Functional Studies of Leukemia
  • Urothelial Cancer Genomics
  • Urology - urothelial cancer, Malmö

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 2073-4409