Exploring glioblastoma stem cell heterogeneity: Immune microenvironment modulation and therapeutic opportunities.

ABSTRACT: Despite its growing use in cancer treatment, immunotherapy has been virtually ineffective in clinical trials for gliomas. The inherently cold tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) in gliomas, characterized by a high ratio of pro-tumor to anti-tumor immune cell infiltrates, acts as a seemingly insurmountable barrier to immunotherapy. Glioma stem cells (GSCs) within these tumors are key contributors to this cold TIME, often functioning indirectly through activation and recruitment of pro-tumor immune cell types. Furthermore, drivers of GSC plasticity and heterogeneity (e.g., reprogramming transcription factors, epigenetic modifications) are associated with induction of immunosuppressive cell states. Recent studies have identified GSC-intrinsic mechanisms, including functional mimicry of immun

SUBMITTER: Johnson AL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9532940 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature