Department of Medicine Huddinge, Center for Infectious Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden.
Scand J Immunol. 2022 Apr;95(4):e13156. doi: 10.1111/sji.13156. Epub 2022 Mar 16.
Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) can be viewed as the innate counterparts of T cells. In contrast to T cells, ILCs exert their functions in antigen-independent manners, relying on tissue-derived signals from other immune cells, stroma and neurons. Natural killer (NK) cells have been known for their antitumour effects for decades. However, the roles of other ILC subtypes in cancer immunity are just now starting to be unravelled. ILCs contribute to both homeostasis and inflammation in the intestinal mucosa. Intestinal inflammation predisposes the intestine for the development of colonic dysplasia and colorectal cancer (CRC). Recent data from mouse models and human studies indicate that ILCs play a role in CRC, exerting both protumoural and antitumoural functions. Studies also suggest that intratumoural ILC frequencies and expression of ILC signature genes can predict disease progression and response to PD-1 checkpoint therapy in CRC. In this mini-review, we focus on such recent insights and their implications for understanding the immunobiology of CRC. We also identify knowledge gaps and research areas that require further work.
先天淋巴细胞 (ILC) 可以被视为 T 细胞的先天对应物。与 T 细胞不同，ILC 以非抗原依赖的方式发挥作用，依赖于来自其他免疫细胞、基质和神经元的组织衍生信号。自然杀伤 (NK) 细胞几十年来一直因其抗肿瘤作用而闻名。然而，其他 ILC 亚型在癌症免疫中的作用才刚刚开始被揭示。ILC 有助于维持肠道黏膜的稳态和炎症。肠道炎症使肠道容易发生结肠发育不良和结直肠癌 (CRC)。来自小鼠模型和人类研究的最新数据表明，ILC 在 CRC 中发挥作用，具有促肿瘤和抗肿瘤作用。研究还表明，肿瘤内 ILC 频率和 ILC 特征基因的表达可以预测 CRC 中的疾病进展和对 PD-1 检查点治疗的反应。在这篇小综述中，我们重点介绍了这些最新的研究进展及其对理解 CRC 免疫生物学的意义。我们还确定了需要进一步研究的知识空白和研究领域。
