The mitochondrial DNA constitution shaping T-cell immunity in patients with rectal cancer at high risk of metastatic progression

© 2021. The Author(s)..

PURPOSE: A significant percentage of colorectal cancer patients proceeds to metastatic disease. We hypothesised that mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymorphisms, generated by the high mtDNA mutation rate of energy-demanding clonal immune cell expansions and assessable in peripheral blood, reflect how efficiently systemic immunity impedes metastasis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied 44 rectal cancer patients from a population-based prospective biomarker study, given curative-intent neoadjuvant radiation and radical surgery for high-risk tumour stage and followed for metastatic failure. Blood specimens were sampled at the time of diagnosis and analysed for the full-length mtDNA sequence, composition of immune cell subpopulations and damaged serum mtDNA.

RESULTS: Whole blood total mtDNA variant number above the median value for the study cohort, coexisting with an mtDNA non-H haplogroup, was representative for the mtDNA of circulating immune cells and associated with low risk of a metastatic event. Abundant mtDNA variants correlated with proliferating helper T cells and cytotoxic effector T cells in the circulation. Patients without metastatic progression had high relative levels of circulating tumour-targeting effector T cells and, of note, the naïve (LAG-3+) helper T-cell population, with the proportion of LAG-3+ cells inversely correlating with cell-free damaged mtDNA in serum known to cause antagonising inflammation.

CONCLUSION: Numerous mtDNA polymorphisms in peripheral blood reflected clonal expansion of circulating helper and cytotoxic T-cell populations in patients without metastatic failure. The statistical associations suggested that patient's constitutional mtDNA manifests the helper T-cell capacity to mount immunity that controls metastatic susceptibility.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01816607; registration date: 22 March 2013.

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2022

Erschienen:

2022

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:24

Enthalten in:

Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico - 24(2022), 6 vom: 27. Juni, Seite 1157-1167

Sprache:

Englisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Bousquet, P A [VerfasserIn]
Meltzer, S [VerfasserIn]
Fuglestad, A J [VerfasserIn]
Lüders, T [VerfasserIn]
Esbensen, Y [VerfasserIn]
Juul, H V [VerfasserIn]
Johansen, C [VerfasserIn]
Lyckander, L G [VerfasserIn]
Bjørnetrø, T [VerfasserIn]
Inderberg, E M [VerfasserIn]
Kersten, C [VerfasserIn]
Redalen, K R [VerfasserIn]
Ree, A H [VerfasserIn]

Links:

Volltext

Themen:

CD4
Colorectal cancer
DNA, Mitochondrial
Immune cells
Journal Article
Metastasis
Mitochondrial DNA

Anmerkungen:

Date Completed 17.05.2022

Date Revised 16.09.2023

published: Print-Electronic

ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01816607

Citation Status MEDLINE

doi:

10.1007/s12094-021-02756-w

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

NLM334977525