NFATc1 Promotes Antitumoral Effector Functions and Memory CD8(+) T-cell Differentiation during Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Development

Nuclear factor of activated T cells 1 (NFATc1) is a transcription factor activated by T-cell receptor (TCR) and Ca2+ signaling that affects T-cell activation and effector function. Upon tumor antigen challenge, TCR and calcium-release-activated channels are induced, promoting NFAT dephosphorylation and translocation into the nucleus. In this study, we report a progressive decrease of NFATc1 in lung tumor tissue and in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) of patients suffering from advanced-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Mice harboring conditionally inactivated NFATc1 in T cells (NFATc1(Delta CD4)) showed increased lung tumor growth associated with impaired T-cell activation and function. Furthermore, in the absence of NFATc1, reduced IL2 influenced the development of memory CD8(+) T cells. We found a reduction of effector memory and CD103(+) tissue-resident memory (TRM) T cells in the lung of tumor-bearing NFATc1(Delta CD4) mice, underlining an impaired cytotoxic T-cell response and a reduced TRM tissue-homing capacity. In CD4(+)ICOS(+) T cells, programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) was induced in the draining lymph nodes of these mice and associated with lung tumor cell growth. Targeting PD-1 resulted in NFATc1 induction in CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in tumor-bearing mice and was associated with increased antitumor cytotoxic functions. This study reveals a role of NFATc1 in the activation and cytotoxic functions of T cells, in the development of memory CD8(+) T-cell subsets, and in the regulation of T-cell exhaustion. These data underline the indispensability of NFATc1 for successful antitumor immune responses in patients with NSCLC. Significance: The multifaceted role of NFATc1 in the activation and function of T cells during lung cancer development makes it a critical participant in antitumor immune responses in patients with NSCLC. (C) 2018 AACR.