γδ T cells: The potential role in liver disease and implications for cancer immunotherapy

Abstract

The γδ T cell subset was discovered over 30 years ago, yet continues to be an exciting and challenging component of the adaptive immune response. While γδ T cells represent a very small fraction of all T cells in humans, γδ T cells have a vital effect on human immunity, serving as a bridge between the innate and adaptive immune systems. The characteristics of γδ T cells include recognition of non-MHC restrictive antigens, as well as the ability to secrete an abundance of cytokines, suggesting that γδ T cells have high antitumor activity. As such, they have gained ample attention with respect to tumor immunotherapy in the last decade. The γδ T cell subset comprises up to ∼15-20% of the T-lymphocyte population in the liver, although the liver is recognized as an immune organ with primary immune functions, the role of γδ T cells in liver disease has not been established. Herein, we present a comprehensive overview of molecular mechanisms underlying immune γδ T cell activity in liver disease, including immune liver injury, viral hepatitis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, and review γδ T cell-based clinical immunotherapeutic approaches.

Mapping Cellular Interactions from Spatially Resolved Transcriptomics Data

“…We focused on a special class of T cells, γδ T cells, and characterized how these T cells impacted the transcriptomics programs of normal hepatocytes and malignant liver cancer cells. While γδ T cells are a minor class of T cells compared with αβ T cells, their abundance is much higher in the liver 49,50 . However, the exact roles of γδ T cells in the liver are not clear yet.…”

Immune Regulatory Networks and Therapy of γδ T Cells in Liver Cancer: Recent Trends and Advancements

“…45 Various cytokines and chemokines assist γδ T cells in achieving cytotoxic functions while acting as regulators in the immune microenvironment. Some scientific evidence indicates that γδ T cells exhibit cytotoxic activity in liver cancer [46][47][48] and are under the regulation of cytokines such as IL-2 and IL-21. 49 Additionally, IL-17 and IL-2, the most common cytokines secreted by γδ T cells, have been identified as biomarkers of poor prognosis in malignant tumors, related to the maintenance and promotion of the inflammatory environment.…”