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The Tumor Microenvironment

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Every normal cell or tissue is embedded in a complex local environment called stroma, consisting of different cell types, a basal membrane, and blood vessels. As normal cells mutate and develop into cancer cells, their local environment also changes to allow cancer progression. The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a complex cellular matrix of stromal cells and the developing tumor. The cross-talk between cancer cells and surrounding stromal cells is critical to disrupt normal tissue...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 8, 2025

Studying the Effects of Tumor-Secreted Paracrine Ligands on Macrophage Activation using Co-Culture with Permeable Membrane Supports

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Published on: November 28, 2019

Tumor microenvironment metabolites directing T cell differentiation and function.

Xia Liu¹, Daniel F Hoft², Guangyong Peng²

¹Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology and Department of Internal Medicine, Saint Louis University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63104, USA.

Trends in Immunology

|January 2, 2022

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cancer cells alter the tumor microenvironment (TME), impacting T cell metabolism and function. Understanding these metabolic changes offers new strategies for cancer immunotherapy by reprogramming tumor metabolism to enhance anti-cancer T cell activity.

Keywords:

T cells metabolic reprogramming metabolites tumor immunotherapy tumor microenvironment

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Analysis of Human T Cell Activity in an Allogeneic Co-Culture Setting of Pre-Treated Tumor Cells

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Published on: March 7, 2025

Area of Science:

Immunology
Metabolic pathways
Cancer biology

Background:

Cancer cells reprogram metabolism, creating a nutrient-poor tumor microenvironment (TME).
This altered TME affects the metabolism, differentiation, and function of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs).
TILs are further inhibited by tumor-derived metabolic byproducts and hypoxia.

Purpose of the Study:

To highlight the critical role of unique metabolites in modulating T cell subsets within the TME.
To dissect how metabolic alterations in the TME influence T cell function and clinical outcomes.
To identify potential TME metabolic targets for novel cancer immunotherapies.

Main Methods:

Literature review and analysis of existing research on cancer metabolism and T cell immunology.
Exploration of metabolic pathways within the tumor microenvironment.
Investigation of metabolite-driven T cell modulation.

Main Results:

Metabolic reprogramming significantly impacts T cell differentiation and function within the TME.
Specific metabolites and nutrient availability dictate T cell subset behavior.
Hypoxia and metabolic waste products are key inhibitory factors for TILs.

Conclusions:

Understanding TME metabolism is crucial for developing effective cancer immunotherapies.
Targeting tumor metabolism can enhance anti-cancer T cell functions.
Reprogramming the TME metabolically holds promise for improving cancer treatment outcomes.