Abstract
Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells are major players of anti-tumor immune responses, as their functional activity can limit tumor growth and progression. Data show that cytotoxic T cells efficiently control the proliferation of tumor cells through major histocompatibility complex class I-mediated mechanisms; nevertheless, the presence of tumor-infiltrating CD8+ T cells in lesional tissue does not always correlate with better prognosis and increased survival of cancer patients. Similarly, adoptive transfer of tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells has only shown marginal improvement in life spans of patients with metastatic disease. In this report, we discuss experimental evidence showing that expression of tumor-derived galectins, galectin (Gal)-1, Gal-3 and Gal-9, and concomitant presence of their ligands on the surface of anti-tumor immunocytes directly compromise anti-tumor CD8+ T cell immune responses and, perhaps, undermine the promise of adoptive CD8+ T cell immunotherapy. Furthermore, we describe novel strategies designed to counteract Gal-1-, Gal-3- and Gal-9-mediated effects and highlight their targeting potential for creating more effective anti-tumor immune responses. We believe that Gal and their ligands represent an efficacious targeted molecular paradigm that warrants clinical evaluation.
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Cedeno-Laurent, F., Dimitroff, C.J. Galectins and their ligands: negative regulators of anti-tumor immunity. Glycoconj J 29, 619–625 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10719-012-9379-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10719-012-9379-0