Immunoregulatory T cells in tumor immunity.
One mechanism of cancer immune evasion is the suppression of anti-tumor immunity by immunoregulatory T cells. Recent studies of these cells, especially CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells and NKT cells, have revealed molecular and cellular mechanisms of immunosuppression. Mouse studies have shown that either removing immunoregulatory T cells or blocking an immunoregulatory pathway induced by such cells unmasks natural tumor immunosurveillance and improves responses to cancer vaccines. Studies of the corresponding T-cell populations in human cancer patients support a similar role for immunoregulatory T cells in immunosuppression, implying that blocking immunoregulatory T-cell activity might improve the efficacy of tumor vaccines or the immunotherapy of cancer.
Terabe
Masaki
M
Vaccine Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 10 Center Drive, Bethesda, MD 20892-1578, USA. terabe@mail.nih.gov
Berzofsky
Jay A
JA
D000818:Animals; D015551:Autoimmunity; D015704:CD4 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2 / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
D015704:CD4 Antigens; D015375:Receptors, Interleukin-2