A paper utilizing our TCR Repertoire Analysis was published by Dr. Susumu Suzuki et al., Aichi Medical University Research Creation Support Center that suggests regulatory T cells activated in metastatic lymph nodes suppress cancer immunity in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cancer tissue.
Since the mechanism by which activated regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress cancer immunity is unknown, to elucidate this mechanism, the research group performed T cell receptor (TCR) repertoire analysis was performed. We found that the TCR repertoires were biased in cancer tissue and metastatic DLNs (M-DLNs) compared to non-metastatic DLNs, and that the TCR repertoires of Tregs and CD8+ T cells between M-DLNs and cancer tissue were more similar than in other sites. These results suggest that Treg and CD8+ T cells are activated by cancer antigens such as neoantigens and shared antigens in M-DLNs and cancer tissues, and that Tregs suppress CD8+ T cell function in a cancer antigen-specific manner in M-DLNs and cancer tissues. Furthermore, M-DLN may be a source of Tregs and CD8+ T cells that are recruited to cancer tissues. These findings suggest that antigen-specific targeting of Tregs with M-DLN may represent a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.
We have performed a TCR Repertoire Analysis using Tregs and conventional T cells in peripheral blood, influx regional lymph nodes (DLNs), and cancer tissues of patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC) as shown in the article.

Pathology International
Regulatory T-cells activated in metastatic draining lymph nodes possibly suppress cancer immunity in cancer tissues of head and neck squamous cell cancer

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