High Level Expression of MHC-II in HPV+ Head and Neck Cancers Suggests that Tumor Epithelial Cells Serve an Important Role as Accessory Antigen Presenting Cells

High-risk human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are responsible for a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC). Expression of class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC-II) is associated with antigen presenting cells (APCs). During inflammation, epithelial cells can be induced to express MHC-II and function as accessory APCs. Utilizing RNA-seq data from over 500 HNSCC patients from The Cancer Genome Atlas, we determined the impact of HPV-status on the expression of MHC-II genes and related genes involved in their regulation, antigen presentation, and T-cell co-stimulation. Expression of virtually all MHC-II genes was significantly upregulated in HPV+ carcinomas compared to HPV− or normal control tissue. Similarly, genes that encode products involved in antigen presentation were also significantly upregulated in the HPV+ cohort. In addition, the expression of CIITA and RFX5—regulators of MHC-II—were significantly upregulated in HPV+ tumors. This coordinated upregulation of MHC-II genes was correlated with higher intratumoral levels of interferon-gamma in HPV+ carcinomas. Furthermore, genes that encode various co-stimulatory molecules involved in T-cell activation and survival were also significantly upregulated in HPV+ tumors. Collectively, these results suggest a previously unappreciated role for epithelial cells in antigen presentation that functionally contributes to the highly immunogenic tumor microenvironment observed in HPV+ HNSCC.