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Human regulatory γδT cells and their functional plasticity in the tumor microenvironment

Cellular & Molecular Immunology volume 15, pages 411–413 (2018)Cite this article

γδ T cells were first identified as a novel T-cell subset in the 1980s.1 Whereas the vast majority of T cells express a T-cell receptor (TCR) composed of αβ heterodimers, a smaller population expresses a γδ TCR. Unlike conventional αβ T cells, γδ T cells are considered to be a unique and conserved subset of T cells cross-linking innate immunity and adaptive immunity.2 Therefore, γδ T cells are usually categorized as innate immune T cells.

The classification of γδ T cells in murine and human differs. Murine γδ T cells are classified into subtypes depending on the γ chain. Unlike their murine counterparts, human γδ T cells are usually sub-divided based on two variable regions of TCRδ: Vδ1 and Vδ2. Vδ1 cells are the predominant subset found at mucosal surfaces, whereas Vδ2 cells (which are almost exclusively Vγ9 cells) mostly dominate the peripheral blood. In this paper, we mainly focus on human γδ T cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100005, China

    Hui Chen & Wei He

  2. State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology, Beijing, 100005, China

    Hui Chen & Wei He

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  1. Hui Chen
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Correspondence to Wei He.

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Chen, H., He, W. Human regulatory γδT cells and their functional plasticity in the tumor microenvironment. Cell Mol Immunol 15, 411–413 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/cmi.2017.73

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