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Phenotype and Functional Characterization of Long-term gp100-Specific Memory CD8⁺ T Cells in Disease-Free Melanoma Patients Before and After Boosting Immunization

Authors' Affiliations: ¹ Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Portland Medical Center, Portland, Oregon and ² Data Management Services, Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland

Requests for reprints: Edwin B. Walker, Robert W. Franz Cancer Research Center, Earle A. Chiles Research Institute, Providence Portland Medical Center, 4805 North East Glisan Street, North Pavilion, 2nd Floor, 2N35, Portland, OR 97213. Phone: 503-215-2620; Fax: 503-215-6841; E-mail: Edwin.walker{at}providence.org.

Purpose: Effective cancer vaccines must both drive a strong CTL response and sustain long-term memory T cells capable of rapid recall responses to tumor antigens. We sought to characterize the phenotype and function of gp100 peptide-specific memory CD8⁺ T cells in melanoma patients after primary gp100_209-2M immunization and assess the anamnestic response to boosting immunization.

Experimental Design: Eight-color flow cytometry analysis of gp100-specific CD8⁺ T cells was done on peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected shortly after the primary vaccine regimen, 12 to 24 months after primary vaccination, and after boosting immunization. The anamnestic response was assessed by comparing the frequency of circulating gp100-specific T cells before and after boosting. Gp100 peptide-induced in vitro functional avidity and proliferation responses and melanoma-stimulated T-cell CD107 mobilization were compared for cells from all three time points for multiple patients.

Results: The frequency of circulating gp100-specific memory CD8⁺ T cells was comparable with cytomegalovirus-specific and FLU-specific T cells in the same patients, and the cells exhibited anamnestic proliferation after boosting. Their phenotypes were not unique, and individual patients exhibited one of two distinct phenotype signatures that were homologous to either cytomegalovirus-specific or FLU-specific memory T cells. Gp100-specific memory T cells showed some properties of competent memory T cells, such as heightened in vitro peptide-stimulated proliferation and increase in central memory (T_CM) differentiation when compared with T-cell responses measured after the primary vaccine regimen. However, they did not acquire enhanced functional avidity usually associated with competent memory T-cell maturation.

Conclusions: Although vaccination with class I–restricted melanoma peptides alone can break tolerance to self-tumor antigens, it did not induce fully competent memory CD8⁺ T cells—even in disease-free patients. Data presented suggest other vaccine strategies will be required to induce functionally robust long-term memory T cells.