The present disclosure provides methods and compositions for enhancing the immune response toward cancers and pathogens. It relates to an immunoresponsive cell comprising an antigen-recognizing receptor (e.g., a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) or a T cell receptor (TCR)), and expressing increased level of IL-36. In certain embodiments, the engineered immunoresponsive cells are antigen-directed and have enhanced immune- activating properties.
