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Review
. 2018 Nov 28:9:2776.
doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2018.02776. eCollection 2018.

The Yin and Yang of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells

Snehil Budhwar  1 , Priyanka Verma  1 , Rachna Verma  1 , Sangeeta Rai  2 , Kiran Singh  1
Affiliations
Review

The Yin and Yang of Myeloid Derived Suppressor Cells

Snehil Budhwar et al. Front Immunol. .

Abstract

In recent years, most of our knowledge about myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) has come from cancer studies, which depicts Yin side of MDSCs. In cancer, inherent immunosuppressive action of MDSCs favors tumor progression by inhibiting antitumor immune response. However, recently Yang side of MDSCs has also been worked out and suggests the role in maintenance of homeostasis during non-cancer situations like pregnancy, obesity, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders. Continued work in this area has armored the biological importance of these cells as master regulators of immune system and prompted scientists all over the world to look from a different perspective. Therefore, explicating Yin and Yang arms of MDSCs is obligatory to use it as a double edged sword in a much smarter way. This review is an attempt toward presenting a synergistic coalition of all the facts and controversies that exist in understanding MDSCs, bring them on the same platform and approach their "Yin and Yang" nature in a more comprehensive and coherent manner.

Keywords: epigenetics; homeostasis; immune regulation; immunosuppression; myeloid derived suppressor cells.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cross-talk among different signaling pathways involved in MDSCs expansion, activation and function. Schematic representation of possible pathways involved in MDSCs expansion, activation and function. Black solid line represents known pathway for MDSCs proliferation whereas black dotted line represents predicted pathway and crosstalk that can be involved in MDSCs regulation. How NOTCH pathway and Wnt pathway directly regulate MDSCs expansion is shown with a question mark. The positive and negative regulatory function of MDSCs is depicted in lower part of figure. PGE2, Prostaglandin E2; M-CSF, Macrophage colony stimulating factor; GM-CSF, Granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor; IL-1β, Interleukin 1 Beta; IL-6, Interleukin 6; IL-10, Interleukin 10; LPS, Lipopolysacchharide;TGF-β, Transforming growth factor Beta; PI3K, Phosphoinositide 3-kinase; AKT-Protein kinase B, a serine threonine specific protein kinase; PTEN, Phosphatase and tensin homolog; MAPK, A mitogen-activated protein kinase; ERK, Extracellular Signal-regulated Kinase; JAK, Janus kinases; STAT, Signal transducer and activator of transcription; TLR, Toll like receptor; Myd88, Myeloid differentiation primary response 88; NF-κβ, nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B; NK, natural killer cells; IFN-γ, Interferon gamma; Treg, T regulatory.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Graphical representation of “Yin” and “Yang” arms of MDSCs in various biological conditions. “Yin” arm presents the diseases where immunosuppressive behavior of MDSCs augments the disease progression whereas “Yang” presents the array of diseases and conditions where the presence and immunosuppressive behavior of MDSCs lessens the disease burden.
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