Regulatory T cells in cancer immunotherapy

H Nishikawa, S Sakaguchi - Current opinion in immunology, 2014 - Elsevier
Current opinion in immunology, 2014Elsevier
Highlights•The vital role of FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in tumor immunity
is described.•FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells are abundantly present in tumor tissues and
suppress induction/activation of effector T cells.•Controlling FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg
cells is a critical issue for successful cancer immunotherapy.•Several strategies to control
FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells are discussed.FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T (Treg)
cells, crucial for the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance, are abundant in tumors …
Highlights
  • The vital role of FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells in tumor immunity is described.
  • FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells are abundantly present in tumor tissues and suppress induction/activation of effector T cells.
  • Controlling FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells is a critical issue for successful cancer immunotherapy.
  • Several strategies to control FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ Treg cells are discussed.
FOXP3+ CD25+ CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells, crucial for the maintenance of immunological self-tolerance, are abundant in tumors. Most of them are chemo-attracted to tumor tissues, expanding locally and differentiating into a Treg-cell subpopulation that strongly suppresses the activation and expansion of tumor-antigen-specific effector T cells. Several cancer immunotherapies targeting FOXP3+ CD4+ Treg cells, including depletion of Treg cells, are currently being tested in the clinic. In addition, clinical benefit of immune-checkpoint blockade, such as anti-CTLA-4 monoclonal antibody therapy, could be attributed at least in part to depletion of FOXP3+ CD4+ Treg cells from tumor tissues. Thus, optimal strategies need to be established for reducing Treg cells or attenuating their suppressive activity in tumor tissues, together with activating and expanding tumor-specific effector T cells.
Elsevier