Immune checkpoints are a collection of inhibitory pathways of the immune system that are critical for maintaining self-tolerance, which prevents the immune system from attacking cells randomly. Immune checkpoint receptors are membrane molecules typically located on T lymphocytes. They recognize complimentary ligands on antigen presenting cells (e.g., macrophages). Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a promising immunotherapy for cancer because they block proteins that stop the immune system from attacking cancer cells in a tumor microenvironment.

The pathway below is interactive, meaning you can click on an active pathway component (highlighted in orange) to learn more about available mouse models relevant to that specific gene and pathway function.