Citation
- Authors: Du Y. et al.
- Year: 2022
- Journal: Nat Commun 13 231
- Applications: in vitro / DNA / FectoPRO
- Cell type: Expi293F
Description: Human embryonic kidney Fibroblast
Known as: Expi 293-F, Expi, HEK-293 Expi
Method
The BTNL2-Fc or IL-17A-Fc expression vector was transiently transfected into 293 F cells by using FectoPRO transfection reagent from PolyPlus company according to manufacturer’s instruction (cat no. 116-040). Five to six days after transfection, cell supernatants were harvested and purified by affinity chromatography with protein A in accordance with the manufacturer’s purification system. SDS-PAGE and Coomassie blue staining were used to analyze the protein preparation, which showed only one major band at the predicted molecular weight.
Abstract
Therapeutic blockade of the immune checkpoint proteins programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) has transformed cancer treatment. However, the overall response rate to these treatments is low, suggesting that immune checkpoint activation is not the only mechanism leading to dysfunctional anti-tumour immunity. Here we show that butyrophilin-like protein 2 (BTNL2) is a potent suppressor of the anti-tumour immune response. Antibody-mediated blockade of BTNL2 attenuates tumour progression in multiple in vivo murine tumour models, resulting in prolonged survival of tumour-bearing mice. Mechanistically, BTNL2 interacts with local γδ T cell populations to promote IL-17A production in the tumour microenvironment. Inhibition of BTNL2 reduces the number of tumour-infiltrating IL-17A-producing γδ T cells and myeloid-derived suppressor cells, while facilitating cytotoxic CD8+ T cell accumulation. Furthermore, we find high BTNL2 expression in several human tumour samples from highly prevalent cancer types, which negatively correlates with overall patient survival. Thus, our results suggest that BTNL2 is a negative regulator of anti-tumour immunity and a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.
