Maria do Carmo Greier, Annette Runge, Jozsef Dudas, Roland Hartl, Matthias Santer, Daniel Dejaco, Teresa Bernadette Steinbichler, Julia Federspiel, Christof Seifarth, Marko Konschake, Susanne Sprung, Sieghart Sopper, Avneet Randhawa, Melissa Mayr, Benedikt Gabriel Hofauer, Herbert Riechelmann
BACKGROUND: Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are highly heterogeneous tumors. In the harsh tumor microenvironment (TME), metabolic reprogramming and mitochondrial dysfunction may lead to immunosuppressive phenotypes. Aerobic glycolysis is needed for the activation of cytotoxic T-cells and the absence of glucose may hamper the full effector functions of cytotoxic T-cells. To test the effect of mitochondrial dysfunction on cytotoxic T cell function, slice cultures (SC) of HNSCC cancer were cultivated under different metabolic conditions...
2024: Frontiers in Oncology