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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Dec 1.
Published in final edited form as: Trends Cancer. 2016 Dec;2(12):747–757. doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2016.10.010

Figure 1. B cell suppression of the antitumor response.

Figure 1

B cells can produce lymphotoxin, which induces angiogenesis and thus promotes tumor growth. Tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (tEVs) can activate B cells to produce antibodies, which can bind antigen and form immune complexes. These circulating immune complexes can activate Fcγ receptors on myeloid cells, inducing them to become myeloid-derived suppressor cells, which suppress anti-tumor CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses. A subset of B cells called regulatory B cells (Bregs) can also secrete immunoregulatory cytokines, including TGFβ, which induces CD4+ T cells to become Foxp3+ CD4+ T regulatory cells (Tregs), and IL-10, which suppresses CD4+ Th1 cells, natural killer (NK) cells, and CD8+ cytotoxic T cells.