Heterogeneity and fate choice: T cell exhaustion in cancer and chronic infections.

Heterogeneity and fate choice: T cell exhaustion in cancer and chronic infections. Curr Opin Immunol. 2019 Jun 07;58:98-103 Authors: Philip M, Schietinger A Abstract CD8 T cell differentiation is a tightly regulated process generating effector and memory T cells over the course of acute infections. In cancer and chronic infection, this differentiation program is derailed, and antigen-specific CD8 T cells differentiate to a hyporesponsive state generally referred to as T cell exhaustion. Here, we review recent findings on heterogeneity of tumor-specific T cells and exhausted T cells during chronic infections, discussing distinct differentiation state dynamics, fate choices, and functional states. Delineating the regulatory mechanisms defining distinct T cell states and determining the requirements for therapeutic reprogramming of these states will provide needed insights for the design of effective immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and chronic infections. PMID: 31181510 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Current Opinion in Immunology - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Tags: Curr Opin Immunol Source Type: research