Characterization of CD4+ T cell-mediated cytotoxicity in patients with multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable cancer characterized by the development of malignant plasma cells. The CD8 T cell-mediated cytotoxicity is considered a major player in antitumor immunity, but in MM patients, the CD8 T cells displayed senescence markers and were functionally impaired. To investigate whether cytotoxic CD4 T cells could act as a treatment alternative in MM, we examined the frequency and function of naturally occurring cytotoxic CD4 T cells in MM patients. The cytotoxic CD4 T cells were identified as granzyme-A, granzyme B-, and perforin-expressing CD4 T cells, and their frequencies were significantly upregulated in MM patients when compared with healthy controls. The frequencies of cytotoxic CD4 T cells in MM patients were not associated with the frequencies of cytotoxic CD8 T cells, but were negatively associated with disease severity. Interestingly, the expression levels of inhibitory molecules, including PD-1 and CTLA-4, were significantly lower in cytotoxic CD4 T cells than in cytotoxic CD8 T cells. When co-incubated with autologous CD38(+) CD138(+) plasma cells, CD4 T cells were capable of eliminating plasma cells with varying degrees of efficacy. In MM patients, the frequency of circulating plasma cells was negatively correlated with the frequency of cytotoxic CD4 T cells. Therefore, CD4 T cell-mediated cytotoxicity existed naturally in MM patients and could potentially act as an option in antitumor therapies.