Dormant tumors circumvent tumor-specific adaptive immunity by establishing a Treg-dominated niche via DKK3.

ABSTRACT: Approximately 30% of breast cancer survivors deemed free of disease will experience locoregional or metastatic recurrence even up to 30 years after initial diagnosis, yet how residual/dormant tumor cells escape immunity elicited by the primary tumor remains unclear. We demonstrate that intrinsically dormant tumor cells are indeed recognized and lysed by antigen-specific T cells in vitro and elicit robust immune responses in vivo. However, despite close proximity to CD8+ killer T cells, dormant tumor cells themselves support early accumulation of protective FoxP3+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), which can be targeted to reduce tumor burden. These intrinsically dormant tumor cells maintain a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal state that is associated with immune dysfunction, and we find that the tumo

SUBMITTER: Trotter TN 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10721325 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature