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Published on: December 7, 2019
Pyroptosis, a new bridge to tumor immunity
Lisha Li1, Mingxia Jiang1, Ling Qi1
1Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, Harbin Medical University Cancer Hospital, Harbin, China.
Abstract:
Pyroptosis refers to the process of gasdermin (GSDM)-mediated programmed cell death (PCD). Our understanding of pyroptosis has expanded beyond cells and is known to involve extracellular responses. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in pyroptosis due to its emerging role in activating the immune system. In the meantime, pyroptosis-mediated therapies, which use the immune response to kill cancer cells, have also achieved notable success in a clinical setting. In this review, we discuss that the immune response induced by pyroptosis activation is a double-edged sword that affects all stages of tumorigenesis. On the one hand, the activation of inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis and the release of pyroptosis-produced cytokines alter the immune microenvironment and promote the development of tumors by evading immune surveillance. On the other hand, pyroptosis-produced cytokines can also collect immune cells and ignite the immune system to improve the efficiency of tumor immunotherapies. Pyroptosis is also related to some immune checkpoints, especially programmed death-1 (PD-1) or programmed death- ligand 1 (PD-L1). In this review, we mainly focus on our current understanding of the interplay between the immune system and tumors that process through pyroptosis, and debate their use as potential therapeutic targets.
Insights
Pyroptosis, a form of programmed cell death, plays a dual role in cancer immunity. It can promote tumor growth by evading immune surveillance but also enhance cancer immunotherapies by recruiting immune cells.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
- Oncology
Background:
- Pyroptosis is gasdermin (GSDM)-mediated programmed cell death (PCD) with known extracellular responses.
- Emerging evidence highlights pyroptosis's role in immune system activation and cancer therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the dual role of pyroptosis-induced immune responses in tumorigenesis.
- To discuss pyroptosis's interplay with the immune system and its potential as a therapeutic target.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of pyroptosis mechanisms and immune responses in cancer.
- Analysis of pyroptosis's impact on tumor microenvironment and immunotherapy.
Main Results:
- Pyroptosis activation can promote tumors by altering the immune microenvironment and evading surveillance.
- Pyroptosis-induced cytokines can enhance anti-tumor immunity and improve immunotherapy efficacy.
Conclusions:
- The immune response to pyroptosis is a double-edged sword in cancer development.
- Targeting pyroptosis holds promise for novel cancer immunotherapies, potentially in combination with immune checkpoint inhibitors like PD-1/PD-L1.
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