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ABSTRACTOur previous studies have confirmed that tumor cell-released autophagosomes (TRAP) could induce the differentiation of B cells into IL-10+regulatory B cells (Bregs) with suppressive activities on T lymphocytes. However, the mechanism of TRAP-mediated immune suppression is still largely unclear. Herein, we sought to assess the immunomodulatory effect of TRAPs on human neutrophils, a major immune cell type that infiltrates human tumor tissues. We found that TRAPs enriched from malignant effusions or ascites of cancer patients and tumor cell lines were rapidly and effectively phagocytized by neutrophils through macropinocytosis and promoted neutrophil apoptosis via reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and caspase-3 activation. Moreover, the apoptotic neutrophils that have phagocytized TRAPs inhibited the proliferation and activation of CD4+T and CD8+T cells in a cell contact- and ROS-dependent manner. These findings define a novel TRAP-mediated mechanism in neutrophils that potentially suppresses the anti-tumor T cell immunity and highlight TRAPs as an important target for future tumor immunotherapy.

ABSTRACTRecent studies have shown that tumor cells can release autophagosomes, which transport a broad array of biologically active molecules with potential modulatory effects on immune cell functions. In this study, we aimed to investigate the role of tumor cells-released autophagosomes (i.e. TRAP) in regulating B cell differentiation and function. TRAPs from murine tumor cell lines were found to induce splenic B cells to differentiate into IL-10-producing regulatory B cells (Bregs) with a distinct phenotype of CD1d+CD5+, which could potently inhibit CD8+and CD4+T cell responses in IL-10-depedent manner both in vitroand in vivo. Notably, adoptive transfer of TRAP-induced Bregs abrogated the immune response and antitumor effect induced by OVA-loaded DC vaccinations in E.G7-OVA-bearing mouse model. Mechanistic studies revealed that membrane-bound high-mobility group B1 (HMGB1) on the intact TRAPs was crucial for inducing Breg differentiation via the activation of TLR2-MyD88-NF-κB signal pathway in B cells. Moreover, TRAPs enriched from malignant effusions of cancer patients could induce human B cells to differentiate into IL-10-producing B cells with immunoregulatory functions, the frequency of which were positively correlated with the HMGB1 levels on TRAPs. Together, our findings have demonstrated that TRAPs promote the generation of IL-10+Bregs, which may contribute to the suppression of antitumor immunity.