Focusing on CD8 T-cell Phenotypes: Improving Solid Tumor Therapy

Overview

Journal J Exp Clin Cancer Res

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Oncology

Date 2024 Sep 28

PMID 39342365

Authors

Zhouchi Yao

Yayun Zeng

Cheng Liu

Huimin Jin

Hong Wang

Yue Zhang

Chengming Ding

Guodong Chen

Daichao Wu

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Vigorous CD8 T cells play a crucial role in recognizing tumor cells and combating solid tumors. How T cells efficiently recognize and target tumor antigens, and how they maintain the activity in the "rejection" of solid tumor microenvironment, are major concerns. Recent advances in understanding of the immunological trajectory and lifespan of CD8 T cells have provided guidance for the design of more optimal anti-tumor immunotherapy regimens. Here, we review the newly discovered methods to enhance the function of CD8 T cells against solid tumors, focusing on optimizing T cell receptor (TCR) expression, improving antigen recognition by engineered T cells, enhancing signal transduction of the TCR-CD3 complex, inducing the homing of polyclonal functional T cells to tumors, reversing T cell exhaustion under chronic antigen stimulation, and reprogramming the energy and metabolic pathways of T cells. We also discuss how to participate in the epigenetic changes of CD8 T cells to regulate two key indicators of anti-tumor responses, namely effectiveness and persistence.

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