Unbiased high-dimensional flow cytometry identified NK and DC immune cell signature in Luminal A-type and triple negative breast cancer

Heger L, Heidkamp GF, Amon L, Nimmerjahn F, Bäuerle T, Maier A, Erber R, Hartmann A, Hack C, Rübner M, Hübner H, Fasching P, Beckmann M, Dudziak D (2024)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2024

Journal

OncoImmunology Taylor & Francis

Book Volume: 13

Article Number: 2296713

Journal Issue: 1

DOI: 10.1080/2162402X.2023.2296713

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide and a highly heterogeneous disease. Four different subtypes are described that differ in the expression of hormone receptors as well as the growth factor receptor HER2. Treatment modalities and survival rate depend on the subtype of breast cancer. However, it is still not clear which patients benefit from immunotherapeutic approaches such as checkpoint blockade. Thus, we aimed to decipher the immune cell signature of the different breast cancer subtypes based on high-dimensional flow cytometry followed by unbiased approaches. Here, we show that the frequency of NK cells is reduced in Luminal A and B as well as triple negative breast cancer and that the phenotype of residual NK cells is changed toward regulatory CD11b⁻CD16⁻ NK cells. Further, we found higher frequencies of PD-1⁺ CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells in triple negative breast cancer. Moreover, while Luminal A-type breast cancer was enriched for CD14⁺ cDC2 (named type 3 DC (DC3)), CD14⁻ cDC2 (named DC2) were more frequent in triple negative breast cancer. In contrast, HER2-enriched breast cancer did not show major alterations in the composition of the immune cell compartment in the tumor microenvironment. These findings suggest that patients with Luminal A- and B-type as well as triple negative breast cancer might benefit from immunotherapeutic approaches targeting NK cells.

Authors with CRIS profile

Lukas Heger Department of Dermatology Gordon Frederik Heidkamp Department of Dermatology Lukas Amon Department of Dermatology Falk Nimmerjahn Lehrstuhl für Genetik Tobias Bäuerle Professur für Multimodale Bildgebung in der präklinischen Forschung Andreas Maier Lehrstuhl für Informatik 5 (Mustererkennung) Ramona Erber Institute of Pathology Arndt Hartmann Lehrstuhl für Allgemeine Pathologie und Pathologische Anatomie Carolin Hack Medizinische Fakultät Matthias Rübner Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Hanna Hübner Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Peter Fasching Professur für Translationale Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe Matthias Beckmann Lehrstuhl für Geburtshilfe und Frauenheilkunde Diana Dudziak Professur für die Biologie Dendritischer Zellen

How to cite

APA:

Heger, L., Heidkamp, G.F., Amon, L., Nimmerjahn, F., Bäuerle, T., Maier, A.,... Dudziak, D. (2024). Unbiased high-dimensional flow cytometry identified NK and DC immune cell signature in Luminal A-type and triple negative breast cancer. OncoImmunology, 13(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2162402X.2023.2296713

MLA:

Heger, Lukas, et al. "Unbiased high-dimensional flow cytometry identified NK and DC immune cell signature in Luminal A-type and triple negative breast cancer." OncoImmunology 13.1 (2024).

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