Tumor-activated TCRγδ+ T cells from gastric cancer patients induce the antitumor immune response of TCRαβ+ T cells via their antigen-presenting cell-like effects

Human γδ t cells display the principal characteristics of professional antigen-presenting cells (apcs),in addition to playing a vital role in immunity through cytokine secretion and their cytotoxic activity. however,it is not clear whether γδ t cells perform apc-like functions under pathological conditions. in this study,we showed that,in contrast to peripheral-derived γδ t cells directly isolated from pbmcs of gastric cancer patients,tumor-activated γδ t cells not only killed tumor cells efficiently but also strongly induced primary cd4 + and cd8+ αβ t cells proliferation and differentiation. more importantly,they abrogated the immunosuppression induced by cd4+cd25+ treg cells and induced the cytotoxic function of cd8+ αβ t cells from patients with gastric cancer. in conclusion,tumor-activated γδ t cells can induce adaptive immune responses through their apc-like functions,and these cells may be a potentially useful tool in the development of tumor vaccines and immunotherapy. © 2014 chaoming mao et al.