Biophysics and Structural Genomics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, 1/AF Bidhannagar, Kolkata, 700064, India.
Homi Bhabha National Institute, Mumbai, 400094, India.
Cancer Metastasis Rev. 2024 Mar;43(1):175-195. doi: 10.1007/s10555-024-10167-w. Epub 2024 Jan 18.
T cells, a key component of cancer immunotherapy, undergo a variety of histone modifications and DNA methylation changes since their bone marrow progenitor stages before developing into CD8 and CD4 T cells. These T cell types can be categorized into distinct subtypes based on their functionality and properties, such as cytotoxic T cells (Tc), helper T cells (Th), and regulatory T cells (Treg) as subtypes for CD8 and CD4 T cells. Among these, the CD4 CD25 Tregs potentially contribute to cancer development and progression by lowering T effector (Teff) cell activity under the influence of the tumor microenvironment (TME). This contributes to the development of therapeutic resistance in patients with cancer. Subsequently, these individuals become resistant to monoclonal antibody therapy as well as clinically established immunotherapies. In this review, we delineate the different epigenetic mechanisms in cancer immune response and its involvement in therapeutic resistance. Furthermore, the possibility of epi-immunotherapeutic methods based on histone deacetylase inhibitors and histone methyltransferase inhibitors are under investigation. In this review we highlight EZH2 as the principal driver of cancer cell immunoediting and an immune escape regulator. We have addressed in detail how understanding T cell epigenetic regulation might bring unique inventive strategies to overcome drug resistance and increase the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.
T 细胞是癌症免疫疗法的关键组成部分,在其发育为 CD8 和 CD4 T 细胞之前,从骨髓祖细胞阶段开始,经历了多种组蛋白修饰和 DNA 甲基化变化。这些 T 细胞类型可以根据其功能和特性分为不同的亚型,例如 CD8 和 CD4 T 细胞的细胞毒性 T 细胞(Tc)、辅助 T 细胞(Th)和调节性 T 细胞(Treg)。其中,CD4 CD25 Tregs 在肿瘤微环境(TME)的影响下降低 T 效应(Teff)细胞的活性,可能有助于癌症的发展和进展。这导致癌症患者产生治疗抵抗。随后,这些个体对单克隆抗体疗法以及临床确立的免疫疗法产生抵抗。在这篇综述中,我们阐述了癌症免疫反应中的不同表观遗传机制及其在治疗抵抗中的作用。此外,基于组蛋白去乙酰化酶抑制剂和组蛋白甲基转移酶抑制剂的 epi-免疫治疗方法的可能性正在研究中。在这篇综述中,我们强调 EZH2 是癌症细胞免疫编辑的主要驱动因素和免疫逃逸调节剂。我们详细讨论了如何理解 T 细胞表观遗传调控可能为克服耐药性和提高癌症免疫治疗的疗效带来独特的创新策略。