Anticancer immunotherapy by CTLA-4 blockade relies on the gut microbiota

Menées à l'aide de modèles murins de mélanome, ces deux études mettent en évidence le rôle joué par des bactéries intestinales dans l'efficacité d'une immunothérapie anti PD-L1 ou anti CTLA4

Résumé en anglais

Antibodies targeting CTLA-4 have been successfully used as cancer immunotherapy. We find that the antitumor effects of CTLA-4 blockade depend on distinct Bacteroides species. In mice and patients, T cell responses specific for B. thetaiotaomicron or B. fragilis were associated with the efficacy of CTLA-4 blockade. Tumors in antibiotic-treated or germ-free mice did not respond to CTLA blockade. This defect was overcome by gavage with B. fragilis, or by immunization with B. fragilis polysaccharides, or by adoptive transfer of B. fragilis-specific T cells. Fecal microbial transplantation from humans to mice confirmed that anti–CTLA-4 treatment of melanoma patients favored the outgrowth of B. fragilis with anticancer properties. This study reveals a key role for Bacteroidales in the immunostimulatory effects of CTLA-4 blockade.