IL-2-driven CD8 < sup > + < /sup > T cell phenotypes: implications for immunotherapy

Trends Immunol. 2023 Oct 10:S1471-4906(23)00195-3. doi: 10.1016/j.it.2023.09.003. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTThe therapeutic potential of interleukin (IL)-2 in cancer treatment has been known for decades, yet its widespread adoption in clinical practice remains limited. Recently, chimeric proteins of an anti-PD-1 antibody and suboptimal IL-2 variants were shown to stimulate potent antitumor and antiviral immunity by inducing unique effector CD8+ T cells in mice. A similar subset of cytotoxic T cells is induced by depletion of regulatory T cells (Tregs), suggesting IL-2 sequestration as a major mechanism through which regulatory T cells suppress activated CD8+ T cells. Here, we present our view of how IL-2-based biologicals can boost the antitumor response at a cellular level, and propose that the role of Tregs following such treatments may have been previously overestimated.PMID:37827864 | DOI:10.1016/j.it.2023.09.003
Source: Trends in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research