Activation of p53 in Immature Myeloid Precursor Cells Controls Differentiation into Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ Monocytic Antigen-Presenting Cells in Tumors

Highlights

• During tumor immunotherapy, CD103⁺ APCs can arise from the myeloid lineage

• These CD11c⁺CD103⁺ APCs are Batf3 dependent but co-express monocytic markers

• Differentiation of these cells from immature MDSC precursors is controlled by p53

• Selective ablation of this population results in profound defects in tumor immunity

Summary

CD103⁺ dendritic cells are critical for cross-presentation of tumor antigens. Here we have shown that during immunotherapy, large numbers of cells expressing CD103 arose in murine tumors via direct differentiation of Ly6c⁺ monocytic precursors. These Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ cells could derive from bone-marrow monocytic progenitors (cMoPs) or from peripheral cells present within the myeloid-derived suppressor cell (MDSC) population. Differentiation was controlled by inflammation-induced activation of the transcription factor p53, which drove upregulation of Batf3 and acquisition of the Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ phenotype. Mice with a targeted deletion of p53 in myeloid cells selectively lost the Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ population and became unable to respond to multiple forms of immunotherapy and immunogenic chemotherapy. Conversely, increasing p53 expression using a p53-agonist drug caused a sustained increase in Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ cells in tumors during immunotherapy, which markedly enhanced the efficacy and duration of response. Thus, p53-driven differentiation of Ly6c⁺CD103⁺ monocytic cells represents a potent and previously unrecognized target for immunotherapy.