1. Department of Infectious Diseases, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Infectious Diseases and Biosafety Emergency Response, National Medical Center for Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China; 2. Department of Infectious Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241000; 3. Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Virology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China; 4. Department of Infectious Diseases, Jing’an Branch of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200040, China
Abstract:Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a population of myeloid-derived cells with specific markers and immunosuppressive functions. MDSCs can enrich under pathological conditions (e.g., advanced cancer, sepsis, and chronic infection) and suppress the proliferation, activation, and migration of T lymphocytes and other immune cells. The frequencies of MDSCs are significantly associated with disease development and patient outcomes. Through new detection methods including single cell sequencing and mass spectrometry, researchers have found significant differences in phenotypic markers, genetic expression, metabolism, and regulatory pathways between MDSCs and normal myeloid cells. Abundant achievements have been also obtained on therapies targeting MDSCs especially in cancer research. In this review, we start with milestones in MDSCs research, focus on the mechanisms of therapies targeting MDSCs and their roles in infectious diseases, and summarize recent achievements in MDSCs research.