T Cells and Cancer: How Metabolism Shapes Immunity

Front Immunol. 2016 Feb 1:7:20. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00020. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Tumor microenvironment is characterized by a consistent reduction in oxygen and blood-borne nutrients that significantly affects the metabolism of distinct cell subsets. Immune cells populating malignant lesions need to activate alternative pathways to overcome tumor-prolonged nutrient deprivation. In particular, the metabolic switch occurring in transforming tissues dramatically impacts on tumor-infiltrating T cell biology. Remarkably, the recruitment and activation of T cell within cancers are instrumental for effective antitumor response. Therefore, T cell metabolic adaptation acts as crucial checkpoint hijacked by tumors to dampen antitumor immunity.

Keywords: T lymphocyte activation; immune escape; immunotherapy; reactive nitrogen species; tumor microenvironment.

Publication types

  • Review