Colorectal cancer-infiltrating T lymphocytes display a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile.

With regard to the normal gut mucosa, the results suggest that the molecular mechanisms mediating T lymphocyte recruitment differ between CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, which are important for understanding gut homeostasis. Importantly, T lymphocytes from CRC compared to normal colonic tissue displayed a distinct chemokine receptor expression profile, suggesting that mechanisms for recruitment of T lymphocytes to CRC tissue are skewed compared to normal colonic mucosa. Understanding these mechanisms could help in developing new strategies in cancer immunotherapy and to optimize already available alternatives such as immune checkpoint inhibitors.