Molecular heterogeneity and clonal origin of CCR8+ effector regulatory T cells in human cancer

Abstract

CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ regulatory T cells (Treg) are highly activated in tumors and promote disease progression. Specific, universal targeting of these effector Treg cells is limited by the lack of a conserved signature across human cancers and information on their origin. Here we combine analysis of single-cell RNA-sequencing datasets with spectral flow cytometry and identify a core signature of 88 genes consistently upregulated in intratumoral Treg cells among 9 epithelial cancers. We describe 4 Treg cell subsets – CCR7+ quiescent, CCR8+ effector, CD161+ and intermediate, with distinct tissue distribution, function, differentiation trajectories and molecular drivers. By single-cell T cell receptor sequencing, we observe that protumoral, effector CCR8+ Treg cells exhibit little clonal relationship with other Treg cell subsets inside tumors, but are clonally related to Treg cells in tumor-draining lymph nodes, as well as conventional T cells in tumors. This resource provides insights for development and fine-tuning of CCR8+ Treg cell-targeting therapies in cancer. Studies of conserved molecular programs in regulatory T cells (Tregs) across human tumors are limited. Here, by integrating scRNAseq datasets from 9 tumor types, the authors identify a common signature of human Treg cells across solid tumors, further dissecting the molecular and functional heterogeneity of human intratumoral Tregs.