Thus, GARP empowers the functionality of Treg cells and their tissue-specific accumulation, highlighting the importance of cell surface TGFβ in Treg function and GARP as a potential therapeutic target for colorectal cancer therapy.<b>Significance:</b> These findings uncover functions of membrane-bound TGFβ and GARP that tune the activity of Treg cells, highlighting a potential treatment strategy in autoimmune diseases and cancer.
These results, if confirmed by independent investigations, will aid in devising personalized GARP-based immunotherapeutic strategies against breast cancer and other GARP-overexpressing malignancies.
As Treg-derived TGF-β may mediate the suppressive functions of Tregs, GARP may represent a target to inhibit Treg suppression in cancer or augment suppression in autoimmunity.