title: T-cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment.
abstract: T-cell exhaustion was originally identified during chronic infection in mice, and was subsequently observed in humans with cancer. The exhausted T cells in the tumor microenvironment show overexpressed inhibitory receptors, decreased effector cytokine production and cytolytic activity, leading to the failure of cancer elimination. Restoring exhausted T cells represents an inspiring strategy for cancer treatment, which has yielded promising results and become a significant breakthrough in the cancer immunotherapy. In this review, we overview the updated understanding on the exhausted T cells in cancer and their potential regulatory mechanisms and discuss current therapeutic interventions targeting exhausted T cells in clinical trials.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: 1] Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China [2] Center for Experimental Therapeutics and Reperfusion Injury, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer, Xinqiao Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, China.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D000074462:Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D019139:Tumor Escape / Q000276:immunology*; D059016:Tumor Microenvironment / Q000276:immunology*; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor
chemical_list: C099359:BATF protein, human; D050976:Basic-Leucine Zipper Transcription Factors; D016207:Cytokines; D050778:NFATC Transcription Factors; C494003:NFATC1 protein, human; C105992:PDCD1 protein, human; D061026:Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D020825:T-Box Domain Proteins; D000098815:T-bet Transcription Factor; C087042:PRDM1 protein, human; D000074462:Positive Regulatory Domain I-Binding Factor 1