The Effects of Tumor Mıcroenvironment on T Cell Responses in a Rat Chemical Mammary Carcinoma Model

Abstract

The studies that have investigated the nature of the cells and molecules responsible for the functional insufficiency of the tumor infiltrating T cells usually on several components; however, the contribution of stromal cellular elements has not yet been well established. Fibroblasts, one of the most abundant cell types found in the stroma, turn into cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and myofibroblasts in the tumor microenvironment. Tissue fibroblasts have previously been shown to have effects on T lymphocyte functions. However, studies investigating the effects of cancer associated fibroblasts on T cells are limited in the literature. The scope of this study is to determine the role of tumor stromal fibroblasts on the alterations in T cell effector functions. For this reason, cancer associated fibroblasts were isolated from tumors generated by a rat chemical mammary carcinoma model. Then, these cells were cultured together with splenocytes. Supernatants collected from CAF-splenocyte cocultures were shown to have similar levels of TGF-β, and IFN-γ. In addition, splenocytes cocultured with CAFs were found to have similar gene expression levels of CD25 and CD28. This study will help elute the role of cancer associated fibroblasts on the functional changes observed in T cells in the tumor microenvironment.