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Regulation of tumor infiltrated innate immune cells by adenosine

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Abstract

Cancer has the ability to escape the immune system using different molecular actors. Adenosine is known to be involved in mechanisms which control inflammatory reactions and prevent excessive immune response. This purine nucleoside can be translocated from the cell or produced in the extracellular space by 5′-ectonucleotidases. Once bound to its receptors on the surface of immune effector cells, adenosine activates various molecular pathways, which lead to functional inhibition of the cell or its death. Some tumors are infiltrated by the different cells of immune system but are able to use adenosine as an immunosuppressive molecule and thus inhibit immune anticancer response. This mechanism is well described on adaptive cells, but much less on innate cells. This review outlines major effects of adenosine on innate immune cells, its consequences on cancer progression, and possible ways to block the adenosine-dependent immunosuppressive effect.

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Funding

LPJ receives funding from Olav Raagholt og Gerd Meidel Raagholts stiftelse for forskning.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, INSERM 1052, CNRS 5286, Centre Léon Bérard, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Lyon, 69008, Lyon, France

    Regina Strakhova, Octavia Cadassou, Emeline Cros-Perrial & Lars Petter Jordheim

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  1. Regina Strakhova
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  2. Octavia Cadassou
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  3. Emeline Cros-Perrial
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Correspondence to Lars Petter Jordheim.

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Regina Strakhova declares that she has no conflict of interest.

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Strakhova, R., Cadassou, O., Cros-Perrial, E. et al. Regulation of tumor infiltrated innate immune cells by adenosine. Purinergic Signalling 16, 289–295 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11302-020-09701-6

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