Tertiary lymphoid structure-associated B cells are key players in anti-tumor immunity

Frontiers in Immunology

Claire eGermain¹  Marie-Caroline eDieu-Nosjean¹  Sacha eGnjatic² 

[1] INSERM UMRS1138, Cordeliers Research Center;The Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai;

关键词: B cell;    Cancer;    dendritic cell;    biomarker;    antibody;    anti-tumor immunity;   

DOI  :  10.3389/fimmu.2015.00067

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

It is now admitted that the immune system plays a major role in tumor control. Besides the existence of tumor-specific T cells and B cells, many studies have demonstrated that high numbers of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with good clinical outcome. In addition, not only the density but also the organization of tumor-infiltrating immune cells has been shown to determine patient survival. Indeed, more and more studies describe the development within the tumor microenvironment of tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS), whose presence has a positive impact on tumor prognosis. TLS are transient ectopic lymphoid aggregates displaying the same organization and functionality as canonical secondary lymphoid organs, with T cell-rich and B cell-rich areas that are sites for the differentiation of effector and memory T cells and B cells. However, factors favoring the emergence of such structures within tumors still need to be fully characterized. In this review, we survey the state of the art of what is known about the general organization, induction and functionality of TLS during chronic inflammation, and more especially in cancer, with a particular focus on the B cell compartment. We detail the role played by TLS B cells in anti-tumor immunity, both as antigen-presenting cells and tumor antigen-specific antibody-secreting cells, and raise the question of the capacity of chemotherapeutic and immunotherapeutic agents to induce the development of TLS within tumors. Finally, we explore how to take advantage of our knowledge on TLS B cells to develop new therapeutic tools.

【 授权许可】

Unknown