Cytotoxic FCER1G^(+) innate-like T cells:new potential for tumour immunotherapy

In a recent study published in Nature,Chou and colleagues define a new evolutionarily conserved class of tumour-elicited immune response mediated by a distinct population of T cell receptor(TCR)-positive FCER1G-expressing innate-like T cells with high cytotoxic potential(αβILTCKs).1 Targeted immunotherapies and most prominently immune checkpoint blockade(ICB)therapies,brought clinical benefits to tumour patients that were inconceivable 15 years ago.2 These ICBs target inhibitory receptors such as PD-1 on tumour infiltrating CD8+cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs)that can recognise mutated cancer cell antigens and thereby enable tumour cell killing.Yet,a significant cohort of cancer patients are non-responsive to ICB treatment and therefore,there is a strong need to discover additional anti-cancer immunomechanisms.Recent work in Nature by Chou and colleagues identifies a population ofαβILTCKs that exhibit reactivity to unmutated tumour antigens.