[HTML][HTML] The role of CD4 T cells in rejection of solid tumors
L Poncette, J Bluhm, T Blankenstein - Current Opinion in Immunology, 2022 - Elsevier
L Poncette, J Bluhm, T Blankenstein
Current Opinion in Immunology, 2022•ElsevierHighlights•Versatility of CD4 T cells enables different attack modes towards cancer
cells.•Cooperation of CD4 and CD8 T cells renders anti-tumor responses most
efficient.•Integrating CD4 T cells in cancer therapy will improve clinical outcome.The focus in
cancer immunotherapy has mainly been on CD8 T cells, as they can directly recognize
cancer cells. CD4 T cells have largely been neglected, because most cancers lack MHC II
expression and cannot directly be recognized by CD4 T cells. Yet, tumor antigens can be …
cells.•Cooperation of CD4 and CD8 T cells renders anti-tumor responses most
efficient.•Integrating CD4 T cells in cancer therapy will improve clinical outcome.The focus in
cancer immunotherapy has mainly been on CD8 T cells, as they can directly recognize
cancer cells. CD4 T cells have largely been neglected, because most cancers lack MHC II
expression and cannot directly be recognized by CD4 T cells. Yet, tumor antigens can be …
Highlights
- Versatility of CD4 T cells enables different attack modes towards cancer cells.
- Cooperation of CD4 and CD8 T cells renders anti-tumor responses most efficient.
- Integrating CD4 T cells in cancer therapy will improve clinical outcome.
The focus in cancer immunotherapy has mainly been on CD8 T cells, as they can directly recognize cancer cells. CD4 T cells have largely been neglected, because most cancers lack MHC II expression and cannot directly be recognized by CD4 T cells. Yet, tumor antigens can be captured and cross-presented by MHC II-expressing tumor stromal cells. Recent data suggest that CD4 T cells act as a swiss army knife against tumors. They can kill cancer cells, if they express MHC II, induce tumoricidal macrophages, induces cellular senescence of cancer cells, destroy the tumor vasculature through cytokine release and help CD8 T cells in the effector phase. We foresee a great future for CD4 T cells in the clinic, grafted with tumor antigen specificity by T cell receptor gene transfer, either alone or in combination with engineered CD8 T cells.
Elsevier