Modulation by IL-2 of CD70 and CD27 expression on CD8⁺ T cells: Importance for the therapeutic effectiveness of cell transfer immunotherapy

Proper T cell function relies on the integration of signals delivered by Ag, cytokine, and costimulatory receptors. In this study, the interactions between IL-2, CD27, and its ligand CD70 and their effects on human T cell function were examined. Unstimulafed CD8⁺ T cells expressed relatively low levels of CD70 and high levels of CD27. Incubation in vitro with high doses of IL-2 (3,000 IU/ml) or administration of IL-2 in vivo resulted in substantial up-regulation of CD70 expression and the concomitant loss of cell surface CD27 expression on CD8⁺ cells. Withdrawal of IL-2 from activated CD8⁺ T cells that had been maintained in IL-2 resulted in a reversal of the expression of these two markers, whereas reciprocal changes were seen following treatment of PBMCs with IL-2. The proliferation observed in cells stimulated with IL-2 primarily occurred in a subset of the CD70 ⁺CD8⁺ T cells that up-regulated IL-2 receptor expression but did not occur in CD70^-CD8⁺ T cells. Blocking CD70 resulted in a significant reduction of T cell proliferation induced by high-dose IL-2, indicating that the interaction of CD70 with CD27 played a direct role in T cell activation mediated by IL-2. Finally, studies conducted on tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) samples that were administered to melanoma patients indicated that the size of the pool of CD27⁺CD8⁺ T cells in bulk TILs was highly associated (p = 0.004) with the ability of these TILs to mediate tumor regression following adoptive transfer.