Abstract C017: Exploring the composition of and interaction of the tumor microenvironment in Langerhans cell histiocytosis
Authors: Wouter van Midden, Raphaela Schwentner, Sebastian Eder, Philipp Ben Soussia-Weiss, Giulio Abagnale, Caroline Hutter
Journal: Cancer Research (2024)

Abstract Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare inflammatory hematological neoplasm, characterized by the accumulation of LCH cells in various tissues and organs. These LCH cells originate from myeloid progenitors that carry a MAPK-pathway mutation. Once these mutated cells enter the tissue from the periphery, they differentiate into so-called LCH cells. In addition to LCH cells, the tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a wide variety of immune cells. However, the interactions between these cells within the TME and their contribution to disease progression remain poorly understood. In this study, we focus on understanding the role of lymphocytes in LCH lesions. We used single-cell RNA sequencing to comprehensively profile the immune populations in LCH lesions on the transcriptomic level, which will be supplemented with spatial profiling. Our analysis identified a wide variety of infiltrating immune cells within LCH lesions with high cellular heterogeneity among patients. LCH- and T cells are the most prevalent cell types, suggesting a key role in lesion development and maintenance. Furthermore, the immune landscape includes several dendritic cell subsets – such as plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs), cDC1, and mature regulatory dendritic cells (mregDCs) – alongside tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), monocytes, NK cells, B cells, and plasmablasts. Among T cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) are particularly abundant and appear to be heavily influenced by LCH cells and other myeloid cells via the TNF-TNFR2 and CD86-CTLA4 pathways. Additionally, LCH cells express high levels of TGFβ – a known regulator of T cell activity – and MMP9 – which might hamper cytotoxic T cell infiltration. This suggests that LCH cells actively contribute to creating an immunosuppressive environment. Surprisingly, pDCs seem to be a major immune regulator within lesions and are likely to interact with T cells via TNFSF9 and Granzyme B. These insights into the immunosuppressive environment within LCH lesions highlight the critical role of Tregs as central regulators within the tumor microenvironment. The implications of these findings will be further explored and validated through in-vitro experiments and high-plex spatial protein profiling. Ultimately, our work may pave the way for developing targeted therapies aimed at modulating the TME, potentially enhancing anti-tumor immunity, and offering new strategies for treating LCH. Citation Format: Wouter van Midden, Raphaela Schwentner, Sebastian Eder, Philipp Ben Soussia-Weiss, Giulio Abagnale, Caroline Hutter. Exploring the composition of and interaction of the tumor microenvironment in Langerhans cell histiocytosis [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference in Cancer Research: Tumor-body Interactions: The Roles of Micro- and Macroenvironment in Cancer; 2024 Nov 17-20; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(22_Suppl):Abstract nr C017.