Immune regulatory proteins

Immune regulatory proteins are a broad class of molecules that modulate the immune system's activity to maintain self-tolerance and control the intensity of immune responses [1, 2]. This category includes immune checkpoint receptors (e.g., PD-1, CTLA-4), their ligands (e.g., PD-L1, CD80/86), co-stimulatory molecules (e.g., CD28, 4-1BB), and various cytokines [2, 5, 11]. These proteins are critical in disease; for example, tumors often exploit inhibitory immune regulatory proteins to evade immune surveillance, while defects in these pathways can lead to autoimmune diseases [2, 11]. Therapeutic strategies targeting these proteins have revolutionized oncology through the use of checkpoint inhibitors, which block inhibitory signals to restore anti-tumor T-cell activity [2, 5]. Conversely, in inflammatory and autoimmune conditions, drugs may act as agonists for inhibitory pathways or antagonists for pro-inflammatory regulatory proteins to suppress overactive immunity [2, 8].

Other names

Immunomodulatory proteinsImmune checkpoint proteinsImmune regulatorsImmune checkpoint molecules

Drugs targeting immune regulatory proteins primarily function as checkpoint inhibitors, which block inhibitory signals to enhance immune activity against tumors, or as agonists/modulators that suppress overactive immune responses in autoimmune conditions.