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01-05-2017 | Original Article

Expression of VISTA correlated with immunosuppression and synergized with CD8 to predict survival in human oral squamous cell carcinoma

Authors: Lei Wu, Wei-Wei Deng, Cong-Fa Huang, Lin-Lin Bu, Guang-Tao Yu, Liang Mao, Wen-Feng Zhang, Bing Liu, Zhi-Jun Sun

Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy | Issue 5/2017

Abstract

V-domain Ig suppressor of T cell activation (VISTA), a novel immune checkpoint regulatory molecule, suppresses T cell mediated immune responses. The aim of the present study was to profile the immunological expression, clinical significance and correlation of VISTA in human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). Human tissue microarrays, containing 165 primary OSCCs, 48 oral epithelial dysplasias and 43 normal oral mucosae, were applied to investigate the expression levels of VISTA, CD8, cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA-4), programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1), PI3Kα p110, IL13Rα2, phospho-STAT3 at tyrosine 705 (p-STAT3) and myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) markers (CD11b and CD33) by immunohistochemistry and digital pathology analysis. The results demonstrated that the protein level of VISTA was significantly higher in human OSCC specimens, and that VISTA expression in primary OSCCs was correlated with lymph node status. VISTA expression did not serve as an independent predictor for poor prognosis, while patient subgroup with VISTA high and CD8 low expression (22/165) had significantly poorer overall survival compared with other subgroups based on the multivariate and Cox hazard analyses among the primary OSCC patients in the present cohort. Additionally, the expression of VISTA was significantly correlated with PD-L1, CTLA-4, IL13Rα2, PI3K, p-STAT3, CD11b and CD33 according to Pearson’s correlation coefficient test. Taken together, the results indicated that the VISTA high and CD8 low group, as an immunosuppressive subgroup, might be associated with a poor prognosis in primary OSCC. These findings indicated that VISTA might be a potential immunotherapeutic target in OSCC treatment.

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Title: Expression of VISTA correlated with immunosuppression and synergized with CD8 to predict survival in human oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Lei Wu
Wei-Wei Deng
Cong-Fa Huang
Lin-Lin Bu
Guang-Tao Yu
Liang Mao
Wen-Feng Zhang
Bing Liu
Zhi-Jun Sun
Publication date: 01-05-2017
Publisher: Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in: Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy / Issue 5/2017
Print ISSN: 0340-7004
Electronic ISSN: 1432-0851
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-017-1968-0

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