Programmed death 1 and B and T lymphocyte attenuator immunoreceptors and their association with malignant T-lymphoproliferative disorders: brief review

Malignant T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases are relatively rare. T cells are activated through the T-cell receptor with the aid of costimulating molecules that can be either excitatory or inhibitory. Such pathways have been also implicated in mechanisms of malignant T-cell lymphoproliferative diseases' persistence and relapse by circumventing immune responses. To date, three major immunoinhibitory molecules have been recognized, namely programmed cell death-1 (PD-1), B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) and cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA-4). Although CTLA-4 is considered the gatekeeper' of immune tolerance, PD-1 negatively regulates immune responses broadly, whereas BTLA activation has been shown to inhibit CD8+ cancer-specific T cells. Both PD-1 and BTLA downregulate proximal T-cell receptor signalling cascade and are involved in immune evasion of leukaemias and lymphomas, even after allogeneic stem cell transplantation. These immunoregulatory molecules can have seemingly a synergistic effect on weakening the immune response of patients with haematological malignancies, and their manipulation represents a very active field of preclinical as well as clinical interest. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.