Internal Medicine Unit, Department of Interdisciplinary Medicine, Aldo Moro University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Department of Precision and Regenerative Medicine and Ionian Area-(DiMePRe-J), Aldo Moro University of Bari, Bari, Italy.
Front Immunol. 2024 Feb 15;15:1367875. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1367875. eCollection 2024.
The tumor microenvironment is a highly complex and dynamic mixture of cell types, including tumor, immune and endothelial cells (ECs), soluble factors (cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors), blood vessels and extracellular matrix. Within this complex network, ECs are not only relevant for controlling blood fluidity and permeability, and orchestrating tumor angiogenesis but also for regulating the antitumor immune response. Lining the luminal side of vessels, ECs check the passage of molecules into the tumor compartment, regulate cellular transmigration, and interact with both circulating pathogens and innate and adaptive immune cells. Thus, they represent a first-line defense system that participates in immune responses. Tumor-associated ECs are involved in T cell priming, activation, and proliferation by acting as semi-professional antigen presenting cells. Thus, targeting ECs may assist in improving antitumor immune cell functions. Moreover, tumor-associated ECs contribute to the development at the tumor site of tertiary lymphoid structures, which have recently been associated with enhanced response to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). When compared to normal ECs, tumor-associated ECs are abnormal in terms of phenotype, genetic expression profile, and functions. They are characterized by high proliferative potential and the ability to activate immunosuppressive mechanisms that support tumor progression and metastatic dissemination. A complete phenotypic and functional characterization of tumor-associated ECs could be helpful to clarify their complex role within the tumor microenvironment and to identify EC specific drug targets to improve cancer therapy. The emerging therapeutic strategies based on the combination of anti-angiogenic treatments with immunotherapy strategies, including ICI, CAR T cells and bispecific antibodies aim to impact both ECs and immune cells to block angiogenesis and at the same time to increase recruitment and activation of effector cells within the tumor.
肿瘤微环境是一个高度复杂和动态的细胞类型混合物,包括肿瘤细胞、免疫细胞和内皮细胞(ECs)、可溶性因子(细胞因子、趋化因子和生长因子)、血管和细胞外基质。在这个复杂的网络中,ECs 不仅与控制血液流动性和通透性以及协调肿瘤血管生成有关,还与调节抗肿瘤免疫反应有关。ECs 排列在血管的腔侧,检查分子进入肿瘤隔室的通道,调节细胞迁移,并与循环病原体以及先天和适应性免疫细胞相互作用。因此,它们代表参与免疫反应的第一道防线。肿瘤相关的 ECs 通过充当半专业的抗原呈递细胞参与 T 细胞的启动、激活和增殖。因此,靶向 ECs 可能有助于改善抗肿瘤免疫细胞的功能。此外,肿瘤相关的 ECs 有助于在肿瘤部位形成三级淋巴结构,最近这些结构与对免疫检查点抑制剂(ICI)的反应增强有关。与正常 ECs 相比,肿瘤相关的 ECs 在表型、遗传表达谱和功能方面存在异常。它们的特点是具有高增殖潜力和激活免疫抑制机制的能力,这些机制支持肿瘤的进展和转移扩散。对肿瘤相关 ECs 的完整表型和功能特征进行描述,有助于阐明其在肿瘤微环境中的复杂作用,并确定 EC 特异性药物靶点,以改善癌症治疗。基于抗血管生成治疗与免疫治疗策略(包括 ICI、CAR T 细胞和双特异性抗体)相结合的新兴治疗策略旨在同时影响 ECs 和免疫细胞,以阻断血管生成,并增加效应细胞在肿瘤内的募集和激活。
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