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Updated: Nov 2, 2025

Monitoring the Cancer-Immunity Cycle and Exploring Tumor Microenvironment Dynamics
Published on: June 7, 2024
ATP and cancer immunosurveillance
Oliver Kepp1,2, Lucillia Bezu1,2, Takahiro Yamazaki3
1Equipe labellisée par la Ligue contre le cancer, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM U1138, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, Paris, France.
Abstract:
While intracellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) occupies a key position in the bioenergetic metabolism of all the cellular compartments that form the tumor microenvironment (TME), extracellular ATP operates as a potent signal transducer. The net effects of purinergic signaling on the biology of the TME depend not only on the specific receptors and cell types involved, but also on the activation status of cis- and trans-regulatory circuitries. As an additional layer of complexity, extracellular ATP is rapidly catabolized by ectonucleotidases, culminating in the accumulation of metabolites that mediate distinct biological effects. Here, we discuss the molecular and cellular mechanisms through which ATP and its degradation products influence cancer immunosurveillance, with a focus on therapeutically targetable circuitries.
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