Tumor-Induced CD8+ T-Cell Dysfunction in Lung Cancer Patients

Figure 1

Alterations induced in the CD8+ T-cells by lung cancer. Tumor, stroma, cells, and soluble factors in the microenvironment inhibit DCs recruitment and induce the presence of immune cells with suppressor activity, such as myeloid suppressor cells and Tregs, which results in (1) blocking the differentiation program of CD8+ T-cells keeping them in a memory stage and diminishing the terminally-differentiated CD8+ T-cell subset, (2) reduced expression of cytolytic molecules granzymes and perforin, (3) reduced expression of CD3ε, altering the signaling pathway through TCR ligation, (4) PD-L1/PD-1 interaction that induces on CD8+ T-cell decreased TCR-mediated proliferation and cytokines production, (5) sensitization of CD8+ T-cell to apoptosis mediated by AICD.