Cross-talk between cancer stem cells and immune cells: potential therapeutic targets in the tumor immune microenvironment

Molecular Cancer

Review

Bo Wu¹  Meixi Jiang²  Hongxu Liu³  Xiang Shi³ 

[1] Department of General Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, 110042, Shenyang, China;Department of Neurology, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital, China Medical University, 110032, Shenyang, China;Department of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, 110042, Shenyang, China;

关键词: Cancer stem cells (CSCs);    Immune cells;    Tumor immune microenvironment (TIME);   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12943-023-01748-4

 received in 2022-09-19, accepted in 2023-02-15,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

Ongoing research has revealed that the existence of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is one of the biggest obstacles in the current cancer therapy. CSCs make an influential function in tumor progression, recurrence and chemoresistance due to their typical stemness characteristics. CSCs are preferentially distributed in niches, and those niche sites exhibit characteristics typical of the tumor microenvironment (TME). The complex interactions between CSCs and TME illustrate these synergistic effects. The phenotypic heterogeneity within CSCs and the spatial interactions with the surrounding tumor microenvironment led to increased therapeutic challenges. CSCs interact with immune cells to protect themselves against immune clearance by exploiting the immunosuppressive function of multiple immune checkpoint molecules. CSCs also can protect themselves against immune surveillance by excreting extracellular vesicles (EVs), growth factors, metabolites and cytokines into the TME, thereby modulating the composition of the TME. Therefore, these interactions are also being considered for the therapeutic development of anti-tumor agents. We discuss here the immune molecular mechanisms of CSCs and comprehensively review the interplay between CSCs and the immune system. Thus, studies on this topic seem to provide novel ideas for reinvigorating therapeutic approaches to cancer.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023

【 图 表 】

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