Effector T cells become rapidly inactivated after antigen exposure due to extracellular as well as intrinsic signals. We have recently demonstrated that the deletion of diacylglycerol kinases, intrinsic inhibitors of T-cell signaling, enhances the activity of adoptively transferred T cells expressing a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) specific for a tumor-associated antigen.
Keywords: Chimeric Antigen Receptor; T cell hypofunction; diacylglycerol kinase; tumor immunosuppression; tumor microenvironment.