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Published on: November 11, 2016
Reprogramming regulatory T cell plasticity for cancer immunotherapy
Mark E Issa1, Alejandro Schcolnik-Cabrera2, Rosanna Monetta3
1Department of Laboratory Medicine, Division of Pathology, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta. Reviews on Cancer
|May 10, 2026
Summary
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) can be reprogrammed to fight cancer. Harnessing Treg plasticity offers a safer alternative to depletion for enhancing anti-tumor immunity.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cancer Biology
- Cellular Plasticity
Background:
- Regulatory T cells (Tregs) suppress anti-tumor immunity, promoting cancer progression.
- Conventional Treg depletion strategies face clinical limitations due to side effects and lack of specificity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore Treg plasticity as a novel therapeutic strategy against cancer.
- To highlight molecular drivers of Treg plasticity for targeted interventions.
Main Methods:
- Review of emerging evidence on Treg plasticity in cancer.
- Analysis of transcription factors (T-bet, RORγt) and cytokine production (IFN-γ, IL-17) in plastic Tregs.
- Examination of metabolic shifts (glucose, glutamine) influencing Treg function.
Main Results:
- Tregs exhibit plasticity, adopting inflammatory phenotypes in response to tumor microenvironment cues.
- Treg plasticity involves changes in transcription factors, cytokine profiles, and metabolism.
- Plasticity can either impair Treg suppressive function or enhance anti-tumor inflammation.
Conclusions:
- Leveraging Treg plasticity offers a promising, safer approach than Treg depletion for cancer therapy.
- Understanding Treg plasticity mechanisms is key to developing novel immunotherapies.
- Harnessing Treg plasticity can enhance anti-tumor immunity and improve current cancer treatments.
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