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Shimabukuro-Vornhagen A, Schlößer HA, Gryschok L, Malcher J, Wennhold K, Garcia-Marquez M, Herbold T, Neuhaus LS, Becker HJ, Fiedler A, Scherwitz P, Koslowsky T, Hake R, Stippel DL, Hölscher AH, Eidt S, Hallek M, Theurich S, von Bergwelt-Baildon MS. Characterization of tumor-associated B-cell subsets in patients with colorectal cancer. Oncotarget 2015; 5:4651-64. [PMID: 25026291 PMCID: PMC4148088 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.1701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Purpose: A precise understanding of the mechanisms by which human immune cell subsets affect tumor biology will be critical for successful treatment of cancer using immunotherapeutic approaches. Recent evidence suggests that B cells can both promote and inhibit the development and progression of tumors. The aim of this study was to characterize the composition of the B-cell infiltrates in colorectal cancers (CRC) in order to gain further insight into the role of B cells in CRC. Experimental Design: In this study we characterized B-cell subsets in primary tumors (n=38), metastases (n=6) and blood (n=46) of 51 patients with a diagnosis of CRC and blood of 10 healthy controls. B-cell subsets were analyzed by flow cytometry or immunohistochemistry. Results: Peripheral blood of CRC patients contained a higher percentage of memory B cells than that of age-matched healthy controls. Furthermore, the percentage of B cells within tumors was higher than that in the peripheral blood of CRC patients while metastases were typically devoid of tumor-infiltrating B cells. Tumor-associated B cells were enriched for activated and terminally differentiated B cells. Relevant proportions of regulatory B cells could only be detected in advanced cancer and metastases. Conclusion: B cells constitute a significant proportion of the immune infiltrate in CRC. The B-cell infiltrate of primary CRC is characterized by an accumulation of terminally differentiated memory B cells or plasma cells suggestive of a specific immune response against the tumor. However advanced tumors and metastases are also infiltrated by a considerable number of regulatory B cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Shimabukuro-Vornhagen
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany. Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany. This authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Hans A Schlößer
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany. Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany. This authors contributed equally to this work
| | - Luise Gryschok
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Joke Malcher
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wennhold
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Till Herbold
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany. Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Laura S Neuhaus
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Hans J Becker
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Anne Fiedler
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany
| | | | | | - Roland Hake
- Institute of Pathology, St. Elisabeth Hospital, Cologne, Germany
| | - Dirk L Stippel
- Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Arnulf H Hölscher
- Department of General, Visceral and Cancer Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - Sebastian Eidt
- Institute of Pathology, St. Elisabeth Hospital, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael Hallek
- Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Sebastian Theurich
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany. Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Michael S von Bergwelt-Baildon
- Cologne Interventional Immunology, University of Cologne, Germany. Department I of Internal Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
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