Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO): Biology and Target in Cancer Immunotherapies

• Published in: Current cancer drug targets Vol. 16; no. 9; p. 755
• Main Authors: Selvan, Senthamil R, Dowling, John P, Kelly, William K, Lin, Jianqing
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands 01.11.2016
• Subjects: Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Humans; Immune Tolerance - immunology; Immunotherapy - methods; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase - antagonists & inhibitors; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase - immunology; Indoleamine-Pyrrole 2,3,-Dioxygenase - metabolism; Molecular Targeted Therapy; Neoplasms - immunology; Neoplasms - therapy; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th2 Cells - immunology; Tumor Microenvironment - immunology
• ISSN: 1873-5576
• DOI: 10.2174/1568009615666151030102250

Indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) is a heme-containing oxidoreductase that catalyzes the initial and rate-limiting step in the breakdown of non-dietary tryptophan. The biology and immunomodulatory role for IDO is discussed in this review with a focus on its interaction with immune cells and its potential therapeutic target in the clinic. IDO has been revealed to be a central regulator of immune responses in a broad variety of physiological and pathological settings, mostly serving as a multifaceted negative feedback mechanism, to self-regulate immune responses. IDO is considered a therapeutic target in cancer and the use of IDO inhibitors as single agent or in combination with other treatment modalities are under active investigation.