Tumor Vegf-C Promotes Immune Suppression And Tolerance

The expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor, VEGF-C, is correlated with tumor invasion and hypothesized to induce metastasis through enhanced lymphangiogenesis and the creation of an “escape route”. However, new evidence suggests that VEGF-C can induce invasion in the absence of obvious tumor lymphangiogenesis, and furthermore, that lymphatic transport may play a role in modulating immunity. Still however, the role of the lymphatics as players in anti-tumor immunity and tumor invasion remains unexplored. Here we present a new model for VEGF-C induced tumor-invasion in which VEGF-C and lymphatic endothelial cells play a direct role in the suppression of anti-tumor immunity. Using a B16 F10 mouse melanoma that overexpresses VEGF-C, we demonstrated that VEGF-C induces the expression of the lymphoid homing cytokine, CCL21, within the stroma of the tumor and drives lymphocyte trafficking, fluid drainage and metastasis to the sentinel draining lymph node. Within the tumor stroma VEGF-C recruited a more regulatory immune cell infiltrate including increased regulatory T cells (CD25+FoxP3+) and M2 macrophages (CD11b+CD80-CD206+) and decreased antigen specific cytotoxic T cells (CD8+Trp2+). To test the ability of this mediated VEGF-C response to overcome host immunity we engineered a B16 F10 line to express ovalbumin (OVA) as a model tumor antigen. When we preimmunized the mice against OVA we observed that VEGF-C provided protection against vaccine (OVA/LPS) induced anti-tumor immunity. Growth of OVA bearing tumors was inhibited with vaccination and correlated with an increase in CD8+ antigen specific cytotoxic T cells. However, neither the growth nor the infiltration of cytotoxic T cells was affected by vaccination when the tumors also overexpressing VEGF-C. Additionally, to determine the fate of antigen specific CD8+ we adoptively transferred OT-I T cells by tail vein injection and observed their homing to the draining lymph nodes and tumor. In these microenvironments, when exposed to VEGF-C, adoptively transferred cells lost function over time as shown by the detection of Annexin V and decreased IFNγ expression. These results suggest that the expression of VEGF-C by a primary tumor not only promotes metastasis through the expansion of the lymphatic network but also through an immunological switch within the tumor and draining lymph node. We therefore present one of the first studies to identify an active, rather than passive, role for the lymphangiogenic growth factor, VEGF-C, and local lymphatic endothelial cells in the regulation of tumor immunity. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr LB-151. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-LB-151