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Updated: Nov 28, 2025

Functional Characterization of Regulatory Macrophages That Inhibit Graft-reactive Immunity
Published on: June 7, 2017
Immunometabolism of regulatory T cells in cancer
Mario Galgani1, Sara Bruzzaniti2, Claudia La Rocca3
1Dipartimento di Medicina Molecolare e Biotecnologie Mediche, Università di Napoli "Federico II", 80131, Napoli, Italy; Laboratorio di Immunologia, Istituto per l'Endocrinologia e l'Oncologia Sperimentale, Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche (IEOS-CNR), 80131, Napoli, Italy.
Abstract:
Regulatory T (Treg) cells are known to orchestrate the regulatory mechanisms aimed at suppressing pathological auto-reactive immune responses and are thus key in ensuring the maintenance of immune homeostasis. On the other hand, the presence of Treg cells with enhanced suppressive capability in a plethora of human cancers represents a major obstacle to an effective anti-cancer immune response. A relevant research effort has thus been dedicated to comprehend Treg cell biology, leading to a continuously refining characterization of their phenotype and function and unveiling the central role of metabolism in ensuring Treg cell fitness in cancer. Here we focus on how the peculiar biochemical characteristics of the tumor microenvironment actually support Treg cell metabolic activation and favor their selective survival and proliferation. Moreover, we examine the key metabolic pathways that may become useful targets of novel treatments directed at hampering tumor resident Treg cell proficiency, thus representing the next research frontier in cancer immunotherapy.
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