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Review
. 2024 Dec 9:15:1507283.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1507283. eCollection 2024.

CD8+ T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer

Hanghang Xie  1 , Xiaowei Xi  2 , Ting Lei  1 , Hongli Liu  1 , Zhijia Xia  3
Affiliations
Review

CD8+ T cell exhaustion in the tumor microenvironment of breast cancer

Hanghang Xie et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

CD8+ T cells are crucial cytotoxic components of the tumor immune system. In chronic inflammation, they become low-responsive, a state known as T cell exhaustion (TEX). The aim of immune checkpoint blockade is to counteract TEX, yet its dynamics in breast cancer remain poorly understood. This review defines CD8+ TEX and outlines its features and underlying mechanisms. It also discusses the primary mechanisms of CD8+ TEX in breast cancer, covering inhibitory receptors, immunosuppressive cells, cytokines, transcriptomic and epigenetic alterations, metabolic reprogramming, and exosome pathways, offering insights into potential immunotherapy strategies for breast cancer.

Keywords: CD8; T cell exhaustion; breast cancer; immunotherapy; tumor microenvironment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The main mechanisms of CD8+ Tex in breast cancer from the aspects of inhibitory receptors, immunosuppressive cells and cytokines, transcriptomics and epigenetic regulation, metabolic reprogramming and exosome pathway.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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