Abstract
Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have a strong immunosuppressive character that allows them to regulate immune responses and hinder overt inflammatory responses. In cancer, this leads to tumor immune evasion and disease progression. MDSCs come in at least two forms: monocytic (Mo-MDSCs) and granulocytic (G-MDSCs). The classical definition of MDSCs as immature myeloid cells blocked from differentiating has been challenged by recent studies suggesting that Mo-MDSCs and G-MDSCs may represent monocytes and granulocytes that have acquired immunosuppressive properties. The molecular mechanism behind their generation and their true origins are now widely debated. In this review we discuss the different proposed mechanisms of the generation of both types of MDSCs, with a special focus on human MDSCs in cancer.
Highlights
The term “myeloid-derived suppressor cells” (MDSCs) was coined in 2007 to describe a non-lymphoid immune suppressor cell population of myeloid origin that was enriched in cancer patients [1]
We showed that the gene expression profile of Mo-Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) from breast cancer patients was significantly more similar to that of reprogrammed anti-inflammatory monocytes from sepsis patients than to monocytes isolated from either healthy donors or tuberculosis patients [13]
Cancer can be regarded as a site of chronic inflammation where the induction of anti-inflammatory MDSCs can be seen as a regulatory mechanism to dampen inflammation and to induce wound healing mechanisms
Summary
The term “myeloid-derived suppressor cells” (MDSCs) was coined in 2007 to describe a non-lymphoid immune suppressor cell population of myeloid origin that was enriched in cancer patients [1]. Several in vitro studies have shown that bone marrow precursor cells treated with G-CSF or GM-CSF acquire a surface phenotype similar to MDSCs found in blood of cancer patients [70,71,72,73].
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