IL-6 as a major regulator of MDSC activity and possible target for cancer immunotherapy
Rebekka Weber1, Christopher Groth1, Samantha Lasser1
1Skin Cancer Unit, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany and Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Ruprecht-Karl University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany.
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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