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T Cells and Stromal Fibroblasts in Human Tumor Microenvironments Represent Potential Therapeutic Targets

T Cells and Stromal Fibroblasts in Human Tumor Microenvironments Represent Potential Therapeutic... The immune system of cancer patients recognizes tumor-associated antigens expressed on solid tumors and these antigens are able to induce tumor-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Diverse immunotherapeutic strategies have been used in an attempt to enhance both antibody and T cell responses to tumors. While several tumor vaccination strategies significantly increase the number of tumor-specific lymphocytes in the blood of cancer patients, most vaccinated patients ultimately experience tumor progression. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with an effector memory phenotype infiltrate human tumor microenvironments, but most are hyporesponsive to stimulation via the T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28 under conditions that activate memory T cells derived from the peripheral blood of the cancer patients or normal donors. Attempts to identify cells and molecules responsible for the TCR signaling arrest of tumor-infiltrating T cells have focused largely upon the immunosuppressive effects of tumor cells, tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. Here we review potential mechanisms by which human T cell function is arrested in the tumor microenvironment with a focus on the immunomodulatory effects of stromal fibroblasts. Determining in vivo which cells and molecules are responsible for the TCR arrest in human tumor-infiltrating T cells will be necessary to formulate and test strategies to prevent or reverse the signaling arrest of the human T cells in situ for a more effective design of tumor vaccines. These questions are now addressable using novel human xenograft models of tumor microenvironments. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Cancer Microenvironment Springer Journals

T Cells and Stromal Fibroblasts in Human Tumor Microenvironments Represent Potential Therapeutic Targets

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References (163)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2010 by Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
Subject
Biomedicine; Biomedicine general; Biochemistry, general; Cell Biology; Immunology; Oncology; Cancer Research
ISSN
1875-2292
eISSN
1875-2284
DOI
10.1007/s12307-010-0044-5
pmid
21209773
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The immune system of cancer patients recognizes tumor-associated antigens expressed on solid tumors and these antigens are able to induce tumor-specific humoral and cellular immune responses. Diverse immunotherapeutic strategies have been used in an attempt to enhance both antibody and T cell responses to tumors. While several tumor vaccination strategies significantly increase the number of tumor-specific lymphocytes in the blood of cancer patients, most vaccinated patients ultimately experience tumor progression. CD4+ and CD8+ T cells with an effector memory phenotype infiltrate human tumor microenvironments, but most are hyporesponsive to stimulation via the T cell receptor (TCR) and CD28 under conditions that activate memory T cells derived from the peripheral blood of the cancer patients or normal donors. Attempts to identify cells and molecules responsible for the TCR signaling arrest of tumor-infiltrating T cells have focused largely upon the immunosuppressive effects of tumor cells, tolerogenic dendritic cells and regulatory T cells. Here we review potential mechanisms by which human T cell function is arrested in the tumor microenvironment with a focus on the immunomodulatory effects of stromal fibroblasts. Determining in vivo which cells and molecules are responsible for the TCR arrest in human tumor-infiltrating T cells will be necessary to formulate and test strategies to prevent or reverse the signaling arrest of the human T cells in situ for a more effective design of tumor vaccines. These questions are now addressable using novel human xenograft models of tumor microenvironments.

Journal

Cancer MicroenvironmentSpringer Journals

Published: Mar 31, 2010

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