T_REG Cells in Cancer: Beyond Classical Immunological Control

ABSTRACT

A prerequisite for tumor evolution toward a malignant state is the establishment of cell intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms of immune suppression (Hanahan and Weinberg, 2000, 2011; Schreiber, Old, and Smyth, 2011). Widespread recruitment of Foxp3⁺ regulatory T cells (T_REG) is a prevailing means to dampen antitumor immunity. Advances in the characterization of T_REG cell heterogeneity and physiological function of tissue resident T_REG cells unfold new possibilities for nontraditional tumor-promoting functions of intratumoral T_REG cells. This review will focus on the nonclassical function of T_REG cells and their implicancies for cancer biology and treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Cancer
• nonclassical functions
• tissue T_REG
• T_REG cell

Acknowledgments

The author acknowledges the support of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

Declaration of interest

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.