IL-36 Signaling in the Tumor Microenvironment

The ability of the immune system to prevent or control the growth of tumor cells is critically dependent on inflammatory processes that lead to the activation, expansion, and recruitment of antitumor effector cells into the tumor microenvironment (TME). These processes are orchestrated by soluble cytokines produced in tissues that alarm local immune surveillance cells (such as dendritic cells, DCs) to mobilize protective antitumor immune populations (B cells, T cells). The interleukin (IL)-36 family of pro-inflammatory cytokines plays an important role in multiple disease processes, ranging from an instigator of autoimmune psoriasis to an initiator of therapeutic immune responses against tumor cells. This chapter will focus on the biologic role of immunomodulatory IL-36 family cytokines in the cancer setting and their potential utility in the design of effective interventional therapies. (127 words).