γδ T-cells in human malignancies: insights from single-cell studies and analytical considerations

Front Immunol. 2024 Aug 30:15:1438962. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1438962. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

γδ T-cells are a rare population of T-cells with both adaptive and innate-like properties. Despite their low prevalence, they have been found to be implicated various human diseases. γδ T-cell infiltration has been associated with improved clinical outcomes in solid cancers, prompting renewed interest in understanding their biology. To date, their biology remains elusive due to their low prevalence. The introduction of high-resolution single-cell sequencing has allowed various groups to characterize key effector subsets in various contexts, as well as begin to elucidate key regulatory mechanisms directing the differentiation and activity of these cells. In this review, we will review some of insights obtained from single-cell studies of γδ T-cells across various malignancies and highlight some important questions that remain unaddressed.

Keywords: bioinformatics & computational biology; cancer; cell therapy (CT); gamma delta (γδ) T cells; immunotherapy.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Humans
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / immunology
  • Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating / metabolism
  • Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta* / immunology
  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta* / metabolism
  • Single-Cell Analysis* / methods
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Tumor Microenvironment / immunology

Substances

  • Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work is supported by the following research grants: Singapore National Medical Research Council (NMRC) Centre Grant (NMRC/CG21APR2002), Open-Fund Individual Research Grant (NMRC/OFIRG21nov-0025) & Open-Fund Young Individual Research Grant (NMRC/OFYIRG24jan-0002).