Toll-like receptor-induced cytokines as immunotherapeutic targets in cancers and autoimmune diseases

Publication date: Available online 2 May 2019Source: Seminars in Cancer BiologyAuthor(s): Mahesh Chandra Patra, Masaud Shah, Sangdun ChoiAbstractImmune cells of the myeloid and lymphoid lineages express Toll-like receptors (TLRs) to recognize pathogenic components or cellular debris and activate the immune system through the secretion of cytokines. Cytokines are signaling molecules that are structurally and functionally distinct from one another, although their secretion profiles and signaling cascades often overlap. This situation gives rise to pleotropic cell-to-cell communication pathways essential for protection from infections as well as cancers. Nonetheless, deregulated signaling can have detrimental effects on the host, in the form of inflammatory or autoimmune diseases. Because cytokines are associated with numerous autoimmune and cancerous conditions, therapeutic strategies to modulate these molecules or their biological responses have been immensely beneficial over the years. There are still challenges in the regulation of cytokine function in patients, even in those who take approved biological therapeutics. In this review, our purpose is to discuss the differential expression patterns of TLR-regulated cytokines and their cell type specificity that is associated with cancers and immune-system–related diseases. In addition, we highlight key structural features and molecular recognition of cytokines by receptors; these data have facilitated the development and appr...
Source: Seminars in Cancer Biology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research