Identification of cycling regulatory T cell precursors as conductors of immune escape during breast carcinoma progression

Abstract

Immune escape during the ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS)-to-invasive breast cancer (IBC) transition shapes tumor evolution. Through transcriptomic mapping of the immune landscapes of normal breast, DCIS, and IBC from large patient cohorts, we identified T and myeloid cells as the primary distinguishing features between DCIS and IBC. We discovered cycling regulatory T cells (cycTreg) as an orchestrator of immunosuppression in IBC. cycTreg frequency predicts cytotoxic CD8⁺, TCR diversity, disease-specific survival in IBC, and recurrence in DCIS. In a rat model of breast cancer, we demonstrated that cycTreg act as precursors to mature Treg and are inducible by tumor-localized type 2 dendritic cells. Profiling of tumors subjected to αOX40 and αPD-L1 therapies revealed an IL-33-mediated fibroblast-cycTreg signaling loop, the disruption of which enhances intratumoral antigen-experienced CD8⁺ effectors and systemic immunosurveillance. Our study defines cycTreg as critical inducers of immune escape and promising immuno-oncology targets in breast cancer.

Keywords: dendritic cells; ductal carcinoma in situ; immune escape; immuno-oncology; progenitor T cells; regulatory T cells; single-cell transcriptomic atlas.