Sialoglycans and Siglecs Can Shape the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.

Sialoglycans and Siglecs Can Shape the Tumor Immune Microenvironment.
Trends Immunol. 2020 Mar 02;:
Authors: van de Wall S, Santegoets KCM, van Houtum EJH, Büll C, Adema GJ
Abstract
Sialic acid sugar-carrying glycans, sialoglycans, are aberrantly expressed on many tumor cells and have emerged as potent regulatory molecules involved in creating a tumor-supportive microenvironment. Sialoglycans can be recognized by sialic acid-binding immunoglobulin-like lectins (Siglecs), a family of immunomodulatory receptors. Most mammalian Siglecs transmit inhibitory signals comparable with the immune checkpoint inhibitor programmed death protein 1 (PD-1), but some are activating. Recent studies have shown that tumor cells can exploit sialoglycan-Siglec interactions to modulate immune cell function, contributing to an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Interference with sialoglycan synthesis or sialoglycan-Siglec interactions might improve antitumor immunity. Many questions regarding specificity, signaling, and regulatory function of sialoglycan-Siglec interactions remain. We posit that sialoglycans and Siglecs present as potential glyco-immune 'checkpoints' for cancer immunotherapy.
PMID: 32139317 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Trends in Immunology - March 1, 2020 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: van de Wall S, Santegoets KCM, van Houtum EJH, Büll C, Adema GJ Tags: Trends Immunol Source Type: research