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Regulatory T cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: implication for immunotherapeutic interventions

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Tumor Biology

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Abstract

Identification of regulatory T cells (Tregs) has led to breaking the dichotomy of the Th1/Th2 axis in the immunopathology of several diseases such as autoimmune diseases and cancer. Despite the presence of extensive information about immunobiology of Tregs in pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases, little is known about the frequency and function of these cells in hematologic malignancies, particularly chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Recent data have demonstrated increased frequency and intact functional capacity of CD4+ Tregs in CLL patients. However, the precise role of these cells in the immunopathology of CLL is not well known. While targeting Tregs in cancer diseases seems to be an interesting immunotherapeutic approach, such therapeutic interventions in CLL might be deleterious due to suppression of the tumor-specific adaptive and innate immune responses. Thus, the precise biological and regulatory functions of all Tregs subsets should be carefully investigated before planning any immunotherapeutic interventions based on targeting of Tregs. In this communication, we review the recent data published on immunobiology of Tregs in CLL and discuss about the possibility of targeting Tregs in CLL.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Farhad Jadidi-Niaragh & Fazel Shokri

  2. Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran

    Ghasem Ghalamfarsa

  3. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran

    Mehdi Yousefi

  4. Department of Medical Genetics, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Mina Hajifaraj Tabrizi

  5. Monoclonal Antibody Research Center, Avicenna Research Institute, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), P.O. Box: 19615-1177, Tehran, Iran

    Fazel Shokri

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  1. Farhad Jadidi-Niaragh
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Jadidi-Niaragh, F., Ghalamfarsa, G., Yousefi, M. et al. Regulatory T cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: implication for immunotherapeutic interventions. Tumor Biol. 34, 2031–2039 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13277-013-0832-x

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