1. Th17 Cell Plasticity and Functions in Cancer Immunity
- Author
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Stéphanie Hugues and Leslie Guéry
- Subjects
Cell Plasticity ,lcsh:Medicine ,Inflammation ,chemical and pharmacologic phenomena ,Review Article ,Biology ,ddc:616.07 ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,03 medical and health sciences ,Interferon-gamma ,0302 clinical medicine ,Immune system ,Immunity ,Neoplasms ,medicine ,Tumor Microenvironment ,Humans ,IL-2 receptor ,030304 developmental biology ,Interferon-gamma/metabolism ,0303 health sciences ,Tumor microenvironment ,Lymphokine-activated killer cell ,General Immunology and Microbiology ,Neovascularization, Pathologic ,Cell Plasticity/genetics/immunology ,Interleukin-17 ,lcsh:R ,Th17 Cells/immunology/metabolism/pathology ,General Medicine ,Tumor Microenvironment/genetics/immunology ,Acquired immune system ,Interleukin-17/genetics/immunology ,3. Good health ,Immunology ,Neoplasms/genetics/immunology/pathology ,Cancer research ,Interleukin 12 ,Inflammation/genetics/immunology ,Th17 Cells ,medicine.symptom ,Neovascularization, Pathologic/genetics/immunology ,030215 immunology - Abstract
Th17 cells represent a particular subset of T helper lymphocytes characterized by high production of IL-17 and other inflammatory cytokines. Th17 cells participate in antimicrobial immunity at mucosal and epithelial barriers and particularly fight against extracellular bacteria and fungi. While a role for Th17 cells in promoting inflammation and autoimmune disorders has been extensively and elegantly demonstrated, it is still controversial whether and how Th17 cells influence tumor immunity. Although Th17 cells specifically accumulate in many different types of tumors compared to healthy tissues, the outcome might however differ from a tumor type to another. Th17 cells were consequently associated with both good and bad prognoses. The high plasticity of those cells toward cells exhibiting either anti-inflammatory or in contrast pathogenic functions might contribute to Th17 versatile functions in the tumor context. On one hand, Th17 cells promote tumor growth by inducing angiogenesis (via IL-17) and by exerting themselves immunosuppressive functions. On the other hand, Th17 cells drive antitumor immune responses by recruiting immune cells into tumors, activating effector CD8+T cells, or even directly by converting toward Th1 phenotype and producing IFN-γ. In this review, we are discussing the impact of the tumor microenvironment on Th17 cell plasticity and function and its implications in cancer immunity.
- Published
- 2015