Strategies to reinvigorate exhausted CD8⁺ T cells in tumor microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: CD8⁺ T cell exhaustion is a stable dysfunctional state driven by chronic antigen stimulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Differentiation of exhausted CD8⁺ T cells (CD8⁺ TEXs) is accompanied by extensive transcriptional, epigenetic and metabolic reprogramming. CD8⁺ TEXs are mainly characterized by impaired proliferative and cytotoxic capacity as well as the increased expression of multiple co-inhibitory receptors. Preclinical tumor studies and clinical cohorts have demonstrated that T cell exhaustion is firmly associated with poor clinical outcomes in a variety of cancers. More importantly, CD8⁺ TEXs are regarded as the main responder to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). However, to date, a large number of cancer patients have

SUBMITTER: Guan Q 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10311918 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature