Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Mediated Cytotoxicity in Health and Disease

135.1K

views

85

authors

16

articles

Mechanisms of Lymphocyte Mediated Cytotoxicity in Health and Disease

135.1K

views

85

authors

16

articles

Editorial

31 May 2023

Editorial: Mechanisms of lymphocyte mediated cytotoxicity in health and disease

Cosima T. Baldari

,

Salvatore Valitutti

and

Michael L. Dustin

1,654 views

1 citations

Editors

3

Cosima T Baldari

University of Siena

Salvatore Valitutti

INSERM U1037 Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Toulouse

Michael Loran Dustin

University of Oxford

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About

Cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and NK cells are our strongest weapon to fight viral infections and cancer, as strikingly documented by immunoregulatory disorders associated with CTL or NK cell deficiency or dysfunction. Not surprisingly, the cells are exploited for innovative immunotherapeutic strategies, including CAR-based therapy. Since the initial discovery of lytic granules, the killing arsenal of cytotoxic cells has expanded to include the Fas/FasL axis and, more recently, the supramolecular attack particles, a new killing entity consisting of a lytic core surrounded by a glycoprotein shell. How these three types of weapons, and others, cooperate in space and time to kill virally infected and cancer cells is still an open question. Understanding this will provide key elements to help design highly controlled and personalized CTL- or NK cell-based therapies.

Considering their central role in our adaptive immune defenses, viral pathogens and cancer cells have evolved counterattack strategies to disable cytotoxic cells. Elucidating these strategies, that are based on targeting the vulnerable elements of the pathway(s) of cytotoxic cell-mediated killing, is expected not only to further our understanding of the underlying mechanisms, but also to develop our own counterattack.

We welcome Review and Original Research articles focused on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• CTL and NK cell killing strategies
• Target cells mechanisms of resistance to cytotoxic cell attack
• Novel immunotherapeutic strategies to enhance CTL-mediated killing

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Editors

Cosima T Baldari

University of Siena

Salvatore Valitutti

INSERM U1037 Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie de Toulouse

Michael Loran Dustin

University of Oxford

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135,131 Total views

94,196 Article views

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Published In

Frontiers in Immunology

T Cell Biology

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