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Fig. 3 | Molecular Cancer

Fig. 3

From: Cancer exosomes and natural killer cells dysfunction: biological roles, clinical significance and implications for immunotherapy

Fig. 3

Exosomal transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-b) induces NK cells dysfunction. Tumor-derived exosomes (TDEs) harbor higher levels of membrane-associated mature TGF-b that can be dissociated to increase TGF-b levels in the tumor microenvironment. Both membrane-bound and soluble forms of TGF-b (released from tumor exosomes) are capable of binding to TGF-bRI/TGF-bRII on NK cells that result in SMAD2/3 or SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation, which are subsequently translated into the lower expression of NKG2D and associated activation of NK cells

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