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Open Access 01-11-2024 | Colorectal Cancer | Research

Immune microenvironmental heterogeneity according to tumor DNA methylation phenotypes in microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancers

Authors: Jung Ho Kim, Jiyun Hong, Ji Ae Lee, Minsun Jung, Eunwoo Choi, Nam-Yun Cho, Gyeong Hoon Kang, Sangwoo Kim

Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy | Issue 11/2024

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Abstract

The detailed association between tumor DNA methylation, including CpG island methylation, and tumor immunity is poorly understood. CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP) is observed typically in sporadic colorectal cancers (CRCs) with microsatellite instability-high (MSI-H). Here, we investigated the differential features of the tumor immune microenvironment according to CIMP status in MSI-H CRCs. CIMP-high (CIMP-H) or CIMP-low/negative (CIMP-L/0) status was determined using MethyLight assay in 133 MSI-H CRCs. All MSI-H CRCs were subjected to digital pathology-based quantification of CD3 + /CD8 + /CD4 + /FoxP3 + /CD68 + /CD204 + /CD177 + tumor-infiltrating immune cells using whole-slide immunohistochemistry. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) immunohistochemistry was evaluated using the tumor proportion score (TPS) and combined positive score (CPS). Representative cases were analyzed using whole-exome and RNA-sequencing. In 133 MSI-H CRCs, significantly higher densities of CD8 + tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) were observed in CIMP-H tumors compared with CIMP-L/0 tumors. PD-L1 TPS and CPS in CIMP-H tumors were higher than in CIMP-L/0 tumors. Next-generation sequencing revealed that, compared with CIMP-L/0 tumors, CIMP-H tumors had higher fractions of CD8 + T cells/cytotoxic lymphocytes, higher cytolytic activity scores, and activated immune-mediated cell killing pathways. In contrast to CIMP-L/0 tumors, most CIMP-H tumors were identified as consensus molecular subtype 1, an immunogenic transcriptomic subtype of CRC. However, there were no differences in tumor mutational burden (TMB) between CIMP-H and CIMP-L/0 tumors in MSI-H CRCs. In conclusion, CIMP-H is associated with abundant cytotoxic CD8 + TILs and PD-L1 overexpression independent of TMB in MSI-H CRCs, suggesting that CIMP-H tumors represent a typical immune-hot subtype and are optimal candidates for immunotherapy in MSI-H tumors.
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Metadata
Title
Immune microenvironmental heterogeneity according to tumor DNA methylation phenotypes in microsatellite instability-high colorectal cancers
Authors
Jung Ho Kim
Jiyun Hong
Ji Ae Lee
Minsun Jung
Eunwoo Choi
Nam-Yun Cho
Gyeong Hoon Kang
Sangwoo Kim
Publication date
01-11-2024
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy / Issue 11/2024
Print ISSN: 0340-7004
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0851
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-024-03805-3

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