IL-27 elicits a cytotoxic CD8+ T cell program to enforce tumour control

Abstract

Although cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes (CTLs) are essential for anti-tumour immunity, they are frequently dysfunctional in tumours1. Cytokines that sustain CTL activity are attractive for cancer immunotherapy, but avoiding inflammatory toxicity remains a challenge for their clinical use2. Here we show that expression of a CTL signature is strongly associated with IL27 expression in human and mouse tumours. In mice, IL-27 acts directly on tumour-specific CTLs to promote their persistence and effector function in the tumour microenvironment. Moreover, treatment with inducible IL-27 overexpression or a half-life-extended IL-27 protein in vivo is well tolerated, induces regression of established tumours, drives an enhanced cytotoxic program in anti-tumour CTLs and synergizes with PD-L1 blockade. In patients with cancer who were treated with anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy, high expression of IL-27 correlates with a favourable clinical response, and IL-27 supports human CTL function during chronic antigen stimulation ex vivo. Our data demonstrate that endogenous IL-27 is essential for anti-tumour immunity and that IL-27 receptor agonism can safely improve anti-tumour T cell responses alone or in combination with PD-L1 blockade. IL-27 promotes tumour control by preventing dysfunction and enhancing cytotoxicity of tumour-specific CD8+ T cells.