Frontiers in Bioscience-Elite (FBE) is published by IMR Press from Volume 13 Issue 2 (2021). Previous articles were published by another publisher on a subscription basis, and they are hosted by IMR Press on imrpress.com as a courtesy and upon agreement with Frontiers in Bioscience.
Natural suppressor cells; past, present and future
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Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) are a mixed group of bone marrow–derived myeloid cells containing macrophages, granulocytes, immature DCs and early myeloid precursors that have immune suppressive activity (1). MDSCs infiltrate the BM, spleen and peripheral blood of tumors-bearing experimental animals and are found in the blood of cancer patients as a result of tumor-induced alterations in myelopoiesis. Evidence from murine model systems indicated that myeloid-derived cells with suppressor activity also accumulate in non-tumor bearing hosts in response to infection, chemotherapy (2), stress (3), and immune senescence(4). MDSCs are considered key negative regulators of immune responses. Their association with tumor-associated immune defects make MDSCs an attractive target for therapeutic intervention in cancer.