About this Research Topic
Tumor-infiltrated lymphocytes (TILs) are widely recognized to play a crucial role in tumor progression. The exhaustion of T cells could implicate anti-tumor immunity and thereby contribute to tumor progression. Therefore, tumor-infiltrated T cells have been a primary interest in cancer immunotherapy, including checkpoint blockade, adoptive cellular therapy, and cancer vaccines. Targeting tumor-infiltrated T cells may therefore represent a potential therapeutic strategy to enhance anti-tumor immunity and ultimately improve patient outcomes.
While most of the research has focused on conventional CD8 or CD4 T cells, which recognize peptide antigens (Ag) presented by MHC molecules, there is also a group of T cells that sense other types of antigens such as lipids, small-molecule metabolites, and specifically modified peptides. These T cells are identified as unconventional T cells (UCTs), including the main population of CD1-restricted T cells, MR1-restricted mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells), natural killer T cells (NKT), and γδ T cells. In recent years, growing studies have discovered the plasticity of unconventional T cells and indicated their complexity in cancer development and progression. Therefore, understanding the complexity of UCTs and how they interact with cancer cells and other immune cell populations during tumor progression is crucial for developing innovative strategies for cancer immunotherapy.
The goal of this Research Topic is to offer a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding UCTs in the progression and treatment of cancer. It will cover topics such as:
- Exploration of the phenotypic heterogeneity and functionalities of UCTs.
- The molecular and cellular pathways that regulate UCT activation and impairment in the tumor microenvironment.
- The mechanisms underlying the duplexity of UCTs in tumor progression, metastasis, and immune surveillance.
- Novel biomarkers and advanced methods for identifying UCTs and predicting cancer prognosis.
- Innovative therapeutic approaches targeting unconventional T cells to enhance cancer immunotherapy.
We warmly welcome the submission of Original Research, and Review articles that discuss the following topic:
- The advancements in understanding the function and heterogeneity of UCTs in cancer microenvironment.
- Advancing and validating innovative methodologies for the identification of novel biomarkers of UCTs, including but not limited to spectral cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and TCR repertoire analysis.
- Exploring the novel therapeutic strategies targeting UCTs, including but not limited to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy or combination therapies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Discussion of current challenges and perspectives of UCT-based immunotherapy research and clinical application.
While most of the research has focused on conventional CD8 or CD4 T cells, which recognize peptide antigens (Ag) presented by MHC molecules, there is also a group of T cells that sense other types of antigens such as lipids, small-molecule metabolites, and specifically modified peptides. These T cells are identified as unconventional T cells (UCTs), including the main population of CD1-restricted T cells, MR1-restricted mucosal-associated invariant T cells (MAIT cells), natural killer T cells (NKT), and γδ T cells. In recent years, growing studies have discovered the plasticity of unconventional T cells and indicated their complexity in cancer development and progression. Therefore, understanding the complexity of UCTs and how they interact with cancer cells and other immune cell populations during tumor progression is crucial for developing innovative strategies for cancer immunotherapy.
The goal of this Research Topic is to offer a comprehensive overview of the current knowledge regarding UCTs in the progression and treatment of cancer. It will cover topics such as:
- Exploration of the phenotypic heterogeneity and functionalities of UCTs.
- The molecular and cellular pathways that regulate UCT activation and impairment in the tumor microenvironment.
- The mechanisms underlying the duplexity of UCTs in tumor progression, metastasis, and immune surveillance.
- Novel biomarkers and advanced methods for identifying UCTs and predicting cancer prognosis.
- Innovative therapeutic approaches targeting unconventional T cells to enhance cancer immunotherapy.
We warmly welcome the submission of Original Research, and Review articles that discuss the following topic:
- The advancements in understanding the function and heterogeneity of UCTs in cancer microenvironment.
- Advancing and validating innovative methodologies for the identification of novel biomarkers of UCTs, including but not limited to spectral cytometry, single-cell RNA sequencing, and TCR repertoire analysis.
- Exploring the novel therapeutic strategies targeting UCTs, including but not limited to chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy or combination therapies involving immune checkpoint inhibitors.
- Discussion of current challenges and perspectives of UCT-based immunotherapy research and clinical application.
Keywords: Unconventional T cells, Cancer immunotherapy, Tumor immune microenvironment, MAIT cells, NKT cells, γδ T cells, CD1d-restricted cells
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
