The Dark Side of Fibroblasts: Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts as Mediators of Immunosuppression in the Tumor Microenvironment

Bibliographic Details
Title: The Dark Side of Fibroblasts: Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts as Mediators of Immunosuppression in the Tumor Microenvironment
Authors: Lea Monteran, Neta Erez
Source: Frontiers in Immunology, Vol 10 (2019)
Publisher Information: Frontiers Media S.A., 2019.
Publication Year: 2019
Collection: LCC:Immunologic diseases. Allergy
Subject Terms: CAFs, immunosuppression, immune modulation, inflammation, tumor microenvironment, Immunologic diseases. Allergy, RC581-607
More Details: Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are prominent components of the microenvironment in most types of solid tumors, and were shown to facilitate cancer progression by supporting tumor cell growth, extracellular matrix remodeling, promoting angiogenesis, and by mediating tumor-promoting inflammation. In addition to an inflammatory microenvironment, tumors are characterized by immune evasion and an immunosuppressive milieu. In recent years, CAFs are emerging as central players in immune regulation that shapes the tumor microenvironment. CAFs contribute to immune escape of tumors via multiple mechanisms, including secretion of multiple cytokines and chemokines and reciprocal interactions that mediate the recruitment and functional differentiation of innate and adaptive immune cells. Moreover, CAFs directly abrogate the function of cytotoxic lymphocytes, thus inhibiting killing of tumor cells. In this review, we focus on recent advancements in our understanding of how CAFs drive the recruitment and functional fate of tumor-infiltrating immune cells toward an immunosuppressive microenvironment, and provide outlook on future therapeutic implications that may lead to integration of preclinical findings into the design of novel combination strategies, aimed at impairing the tumor-supportive function of CAFs.
Document Type: article
File Description: electronic resource
Language: English
ISSN: 1664-3224
Relation: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fimmu.2019.01835/full; https://doaj.org/toc/1664-3224
DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.01835
Access URL: https://doaj.org/article/c7ed10311a18485b9a2c4de48c8ea39e
Accession Number: edsdoj.7ed10311a18485b9a2c4de48c8ea39e
Database: Directory of Open Access Journals
More Details
ISSN:16643224
DOI:10.3389/fimmu.2019.01835
Published in:Frontiers in Immunology
Language:English