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. 2021 Feb 19;13(4):870. doi: 10.3390/cancers13040870

Table 1.

Immunomodulatory cells in cancer and their mechanisms of immune regulation.

Cells Mechanisms Effects Ref
Regulatory T-cells (Tregs) IL-10 T-cell suppression [14]
IL-2 consumption T-cell suppression [15]
COX-2 and PGE2 T-cell suppression [16]
Adenosine T-cell suppression [17]
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) ARG1 T-cell suppression [18]
IDO T-cell suppression
Tregs induction
NK cell suppression
[19,20]
PD-L1/PD-1 T-cell suppression [21]
IL-10 Tregs induction [22]
TGF-β Tregs induction [22]
CD40/CD40L Tregs activation [23]
Depletion of cystine and cysteine T-cell suppression [24]
ROS T-cell suppression [25]
Free radical peroxynitrite Resistance to cytotoxic T-cells [26]
Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) PD-L1/PD-1 Decreased phagocytosis [27]
ARG1 T-cell suppression [28]
IL-10 T-cell suppression [29]
IL-1β MDSC infiltration
Induction of the protumor phenotype
[30,31]
IL-12 Induction of T-cell response [32]
TNF-α Induction of anti-tumor response [33]
Tumor associated neutrophils (TANs) ARG1 T-cell suppression [18,28]
NOS T-cell suppression
T-cell apoptosis
[34,35]
PD-L1/PD-1 T-cell suppression [36]
Cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) PD-L1/PD-1 T-cell suppression [37]
FasL, PD-L2 T-cell suppression [38]
IL-6 Induction of PD-L1+ TANs [39]
Chemokines MDSC infiltration [40]
Erythroid progenitor cells (EPCs) ROS T-cell suppression [41,42]
IL-10 T-cell suppression [42]
PD-L1/PD-1 T-cell suppression [43]
TGF-β T-cell suppression [42]

ARG1—arginase 1, COX-2—cyclooxygenase-2, FasL—Fas ligand (CD95L, CD178), IDO—Indoleamine-pyrrole 2,3-dioxygenase, IL—interleukin, NK—natural killer, NOS—nitric oxide synthase, PD-1—programmed cell death 1, PD-L1—programmed death-ligand 1, PGE2—Prostaglandin E2, ROS—reactive oxygen species, TGF-β—transforming growth factor β, TNF-α—tumor necrosis factor α.