Natural killer (NK) cells comprise a unique population of innate lymphoid cells endowed with
intrinsic abilities to identify and eliminate virally infected cells and tumour cells. Possessing …

T cells are crucial for immune functions to maintain health and prevent disease. T cell
development occurs in a stepwise process in the thymus and mainly generates CD4+ and …

Summary Blocking PD-1/PD-L1 signaling transforms cancer therapy and is assumed to
unleash exhausted tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) …

Chronic antigen stimulation during viral infections and cancer can lead to T cell exhaustion,
which is characterized by reduced effector function and proliferation, and the expression of …

Naïve CD8+ T cells can differentiate into effector (Teff), memory (Tmem) or exhausted (Tex)
T cells. These developmental pathways are associated with distinct transcriptional and …

Cancer vaccines aim to direct the immune system to eradicate cancer cells. Here we review
the essential immunologic concepts underpinning natural immunity and highlight the …

CD8+ T cells are end effectors of cancer immunity. Most forms of effective cancer
immunotherapy involve CD8+ T cell effector function. Here, we review the current …

CD8+ T cells that respond to chronic viral infections or cancer are characterized by the
expression of inhibitory receptors such as programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and by …

Tumor-specific CD8+ T cells (TST) in patients with cancer are dysfunctional and unable to
halt cancer progression. TST dysfunction, also known as exhaustion, is thought to be driven …

Virus-specific CD8+ T cells that differentiate in the context of resolved versus persisting
infections exhibit divergent phenotypic and functional characteristics, which suggests that …