A Menage a Trois of Cytotoxic Effector Cells: γδ T Cells Suppress NK Cells but Not CTLs

Three types of cytotoxic effector cells can kill tumor cells: innate natural killer (NK) cells, CD8(+)CTL, and gamma delta Tcells. In this issue, Walwyn-Brown and colleagues report new insights into the interplay between these three cell types that are integral to antitumor immunity, finding that gamma delta Tcells can specifically suppress NK cells but not CD8(+)CTLs. These results are relevant in view of the so far limited efficacy of gamma delta T-cell immunotherapy.

Automated summary

This study reveals the interplay between γδ T cells and NK cells in antitumor immunity, providing new insights for improving γδ T cell immunotherapy.