Conclusions
Caerin 1.1/1.9-containing treatment results in improved antitumor responses. Harnessing the novel candidate genes preferentially enriched in the immune active cell populations may allow further exploration of distinct macrophages, T cells and their functions in TC-1 tumors.
Methods
We compared the survival time of vaccinated TC-1 tumor-bearing mice with PD-1 and IL-10 blockade, in combination with a further injection of caerin 1.1/1.9 or control peptides. The tumor-infiltrating haematopoietic cells were examined by flow cytometry. Single-cell transcriptomics and proteomics were used to quantify changes in cellular activity across different cell types within the TME.
Results
The injection of caerin 1.1/1.9 increased the efficacy of vaccinated TC-1 tumor-bearing mice with anti-PD-1 treatment and largely expanded the populations of macrophages and NK cells with higher immune activation level, while reducing immunosuppressive macrophages. More activated CD8+ T cells were induced with higher populations of memory and effector-memory CD8+ T subsets. Computational integration of the proteome with the single-cell transcriptome supported activation of Stat1-modulated apoptosis and significant reduction in immune-suppressive B-cell function following caerin 1.1 and 1.9 treatment. Conclusions: Caerin 1.1/1.9-containing treatment results in improved antitumor responses. Harnessing the novel candidate genes preferentially enriched in the immune active cell populations may allow further exploration of distinct macrophages, T cells and their functions in TC-1 tumors.