Regulation of Memory CD8+ T Cell Differentiation by MicroRNAs

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have emerged as crucial regulators of T lymphocyte survival, differentiation and function, all of which are key factors impacting the outcome of adoptive T cell-based immunotherapy. It has become increasingly clear that the adoptive transfer of memory CD8(+) T cell subsets is highly correlated with objective clinical responses for patients with advanced cancer. However, it is unclear how to improve the long-term persistence of transferred CD8(+) T cells using miRNAs. Here, we highlight the current advances in our understanding of the role of miRNAs in regulating the differentiation of memory CD8(+) T cells. We specifically discuss the effect of miRNAs on key transcription factors, immune checkpoints and signal pathways, which contribute to the differentiation of effector and memory T cell subsets. Ultimately, miRNAs may be easily integrated into existing T cell receptor (TCR) and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) platforms to promote adoptive T cell therapy with multiple advantages. Thus, combining T cell-based therapy with miRNAs could be considered a promising and robust strategy for cancer treatment. (C) 2018 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger AG, Basel