Galectin-3 shapes antitumor immune responses by suppressing CD8 T Cells via LAG-3 and Inhibiting Expansion of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

Theodore Kouo, Lanqing Huang, Alexandra B. Pucsek, Minwei Cao, Sara Solt, Todd Armstrong, Elizabeth Jaffee

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

165 Scopus citations

Abstract

Galectin-3 is a 31-kDa lectin that modulates T-cell responses through several mechanisms, including apoptosis, T-cell receptor (TCR) cross-linking, and TCR downregulation. We found that patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) who responded to a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor-secreting allogeneic PDA vaccine developed neutralizing antibodies to galectin-3 after immunization. We show that galectin-3 binds activated antigen-committed CD8+ T cells only in the tumor microenvironment. Galectin-3-deficient mice exhibit improved CD8+ T-cell effector function and increased expression of several inflammatory genes. Galectin-3 binds to LAG-3, and LAG-3 expression is necessary for galectin-3-mediated suppression of CD8+ T cells in vitro. Lastly, galectin-3-deficient mice have elevated levels of circulating plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which are superior to conventional dendritic cells in activating CD8+ T cells. Thus, inhibiting galectin-3 in conjunction with CD8+ T-cell-directed immunotherapies should enhance the tumor-specific immune response.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)412-423
Number of pages12
JournalCancer Immunology Research
Volume3
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Apr 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Immunology
  • Cancer Research

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