Characterization of circulating neoantigen-specific T cell responses and public T cell receptors shaping immune memory in Lynch syndrome carriers.

Abstract

Lynch syndrome (LS), a common inherited genetic condition predisposing to cancer, provides a unique model to study immune surveillance at the earliest stages of tumorigenesis. A hallmark of LS carcinogenesis is the generation of highly immunogenic neoantigens, yet the transcriptomic states of the T cells that recognize them remain poorly understood. Here, we characterize neoantigen-specific T cells from LS carriers using functional assays, single-cell RNA/T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing, and repertoire integration with existing large datasets. Recurrent neoantigens elicit strong immune responses, with neoantigen-specific T cells mediating cytotoxicity against tumor organoids. Single-cell analysis reveals oligoclonal expansions spanning effector and memory states with enrichment for exhausted subsets among cancer survivors and retention of polyfunctional effectors in cancer-free carriers. Cross-cohort analysis identifies public TCR clonotypes in circulation that overlap with pre-cancer and tumor tissue repertoires. Together, these findings define the architecture of circulating neoantigen-specific immune memory in LS and highlight public TCRs as candidates for immune monitoring and immunoprevention.