IL-6 As a Major Regulator of MDSC Activity and Possible Target for Cancer Immunotherapy

Overview

Journal Cell Immunol

Publisher Elsevier

Specialties Allergy & Immunology
Cell Biology

Date 2020 Dec 9

PMID 33296753

Citations 120

Authors

Rebekka Weber

Christopher Groth

Samantha Lasser

Ihor Arkhypov

Vera Petrova

Peter Altevogt

Jochen Utikal

Viktor Umansky

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC) are generated during tumor progression and suppress the anti-tumor functions of T and natural killer (NK) cells. Their enrichment is associated with a bad prognosis and a worse outcome of immunotherapy in cancer patients. The cytokine interleukin (IL)-6 was found to be a crucial regulator of MDSC accumulation and activation as well as a factor, stimulating tumor cell proliferation, survival, invasiveness and metastasis. Accordingly, IL-6 can serve as a negative prognostic marker in cancer. On the other hand, this cytokine is also involved in T cell activation. This review discusses the pleiotropic effects of IL-6 on immune cell populations that are critical for tumor development, such as MDSC and T cells, and summarizes the data on targeting IL-6 or IL-6 receptor (IL-6R) for tumor immunotherapy to block MDSC-mediated immunosuppression in cancer patients.

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