B7-H3 enhances tumor immunity in vivo by costimulating rapid clonal expansion of antigen-specific CD8⁺ cytolytic T cells

B7-H3 is a B7 family molecule with T cell costimulatory function in vitro. The in vivo role of B7-H3 in the stimulation of tumor immunity is unclear. We report here that expression of B7-H3 by transfection of the mouse P815 tumor line enhances its immunogenicity, leading to the regression of tumors and amplification of a tumor-specific CD8⁺ CTL response in syngeneic mice. Tumor cells engineered to express B7-H3 elicit a rapid clonal expansion of P1A tumor Ag-specific CD8⁺ CTL in lymphoid organs in vivo and acquire the ability to directly stimulate T cell growth, division, and development of cytolytic activity in vitro. Our results thus establish a role for B7-H3 in the costimulation of T cell immune responses in vivo.