Epigenetic mechanisms of tumor resistance to immunotherapy

• Published in: Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS Vol. 75; no. 22; pp. 4163 - 4176
• Main Authors: Arenas-Ramirez, Natalia, Sahin, Dilara, Boyman, Onur
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.11.2018; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Angiogenesis; Antigens; Antigens, Neoplasm - genetics; Antigens, Neoplasm - immunology; Antigens, Neoplasm - metabolism; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Cancer; Cancer immunotherapy; Cell Biology; Cells; Cytokines; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - antagonists & inhibitors; DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases - metabolism; DNA methylation; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm - genetics; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - chemistry; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - genetics; Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein - metabolism; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenetics; Extracellular matrix; Genes; Histone Deacetylases - chemistry; Histone Deacetylases - metabolism; Humans; Immune response; Immune system; Immunotherapy; Kinases; Life Sciences; Malignancy; Metastasis; Molecular modelling; neoplasms; Neoplasms - pathology; Neoplasms - therapy; resistance mechanisms; Review; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; T-Lymphocytes - metabolism; Therapeutic applications; Therapeutic targets; Tumors; Checkpoint inhibitor; PRC2; Immunogenicity; EED; Cytokine; Tumor escape; CTLA-4; IL-2; PD-1; EZH2
• ISSN: 1420-682X; 1420-9071; 1420-9071
• DOI: 10.1007/s00018-018-2908-7

The recent impact of cancer immunotherapies has firmly established the ability and importance of the immune system to fight malignancies. However, the intimate interaction between the highly dynamic tumor and immune cells leads to a selection process driven by genetic and epigenetic processes. As the molecular pathways of cancer resistance mechanisms to immunotherapy become increasingly known, novel therapeutic targets are being tested in combination with immune-stimulating approaches. We here review recent insights into the molecular mechanisms of tumor resistance with particular emphasis on epigenetic processes and place these in the context of previous models.