Publications by authors named "Tory Harwin"
Article Synopsis
- - T cell exhaustion hinders effective antitumor immunity, but how other immune cells, particularly tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), contribute to this issue is not well understood.
- - Research shows that depleting TAMs can reduce levels of exhaustion in CD8 T cells, enhancing their ability to fight tumors; conversely, exhausted T cells influence monocyte recruitment and differentiation within the tumor microenvironment.
- - The study highlights complex interactions between TAMs and CD8 T cells that can lead to T cell exhaustion, especially in low-oxygen areas of tumors, creating a feedback loop that ultimately protects the tumor instead of attacking it.
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical for maintaining immune homeostasis, but their presence in tumor tissues impairs anti-tumor immunity and portends poor prognoses in cancer patients. Here, we reveal a mechanism to selectively target and reprogram the function of tumor-infiltrating Tregs (TI-Tregs) by exploiting their dependency on the histone H3K27 methyltransferase enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) in tumors. Disruption of EZH2 activity in Tregs, either pharmacologically or genetically, drove the acquisition of pro-inflammatory functions in TI-Tregs, remodeling the tumor microenvironment and enhancing the recruitment and function of CD8 and CD4 effector T cells that eliminate tumors.
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