Department of Tumor Biological Treatment, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou 213003, China.
Jiangsu Engineering Research Center for Tumor Immunotherapy, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Changzhou 213003, China.
Cancer Biol Med. 2024 May 31;21(6):499-512. doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2024.0105.
In exploring persistent infections and malignancies, a distinctive subgroup of CD8 T cells, progenitor exhausted CD8 T (Tpex) cells, has been identified. These Tpex cells are notable for their remarkable self-renewal and rapid proliferation abilities. Recent strides in immunotherapy have demonstrated that Tpex cells expand and differentiate into responsive exhausted CD8 T cells, thus underscoring their critical role in the immunotherapeutic retort. Clinical examinations have further clarified a robust positive correlation between the proportional abundance of Tpex cells and enhanced clinical prognosis. Tpex cells have found noteworthy applications in the formulation of inventive immunotherapeutic approaches against tumors. This review describes the functions of Tpex cells in the tumor milieu, particularly their potential utility in tumor immunotherapy. Precisely directing Tpex cells may be essential to achieving successful outcomes in immunotherapy against tumors.
在探索持续性感染和恶性肿瘤的过程中，人们发现了一组独特的 CD8 T 细胞亚群，即前体细胞耗竭 CD8 T（Tpex）细胞。这些 Tpex 细胞的显著特点是具有很强的自我更新和快速增殖能力。最近的免疫治疗进展表明，Tpex 细胞可以扩增并分化为有反应性的耗竭 CD8 T 细胞，这突出了它们在免疫治疗反应中的关键作用。临床检查进一步明确了 Tpex 细胞的比例丰度与增强的临床预后之间存在强烈的正相关关系。Tpex 细胞在肿瘤创新性免疫治疗方法的制定中得到了广泛的应用。本综述描述了 Tpex 细胞在肿瘤微环境中的功能，特别是它们在肿瘤免疫治疗中的潜在应用。精确调控 Tpex 细胞可能是实现肿瘤免疫治疗成功的关键。
