Author: Exploring the bacteria release date: 2018-08-06 Researchers from Columbia University's Irving Medical Center (CUIMC) recently suggested that a gene associated with autoimmune hair loss can be used to improve cancer immunotherapy! Credit: CC0 Public Domain The study was published in the journal Cell Systems last month under the title "IKZF1 Enhances Immune Infiltrate Recruitment in Solid Tumors and Susceptibility to Immunotherapy". Corresponding author, Professor Angela M. Christiano of Columbia University said: "Although immunotherapy has shown great promise in cancer, most patients do not benefit from these therapies because tumors can escape the immune system." One way to circumvent this disorder is to find genes that cause T cell recruitment in autoimmune diseases and use them to attract T cells to kill tumors. In this study, the authors found that in alopecia areata, a disease in which immune cells attack and destroy hair cells, a gene that recruits T cells is turned off in various cancers to protect them from The impact of the immune system. Once the gene is reopened, these cancers are susceptible to immune responses. The study began with an understanding of the opposite ends of the immune signal spectrum of autoimmune diseases and cancer: when the immune system is overactive, the patient may have an autoimmune disease; when not active, the cancer can escape the immune system and continue development of. Dr. James Chen, a researcher and lead author of CUIMC Precision Medicine, said: "We should identify abnormally active genetic signals in autoimmune diseases and then use these signals in tumors to avoid immune responses." In a previous study, the team discovered such a genetic signal in alopecia areata, a gene called IKZF1. In the case of alopecia areata, the overactive IKZF1 gene causes overproduction of immune cells and kills hair follicles. "Key immune cells in alopecia areata are cells that many cancers can escape. These so-called killer T cells are critical to the success of cancer immunotherapy," Christiano said. In this study, the researchers attempted to activate IKZF1 in tumor cells to attract T cells into the tumor and mobilize them to attack cancer. Using Chen's algorithm, the researchers screened the genomic and bioinformatic data of thousands of cancer patients in the cancer genome map to find the type of tumor they have IKZF1 in the regulatory system. The algorithm predicts several types of cancer including melanoma (which can receive targeted immunotherapy). These predictions were first validated in a mouse melanoma model. In this model, tumors are genetically modified to express IKZF1. The level of infiltrating immune cells in tumors of experimental mice was increased compared to control mice with traditional melanoma, indicating that the tumor has lost at least some of its ability to evade immune responses. "What is particularly shocking to us is that the tumors that express IKZF1 are significantly more effective against PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4. Dr. Charles Drake, co-author of the study, said, "Tumor growth is almost completely inhibited. †The team then analyzed previous data from studies of melanoma patients with IKZF1 disorders. Compared with other melanoma patients, patients with IKZF1 disorders have a higher recurrence rate and a lower survival rate. The team is currently looking for other candidate genes that can also be used to enhance response to melanoma immunotherapy. The algorithm also predicts that prostate cancer can be more sensitive to immunotherapy. In laboratory experiments, the team found that restoring IKZF1 activity in prostate tumor cells made it sensitive to immunotherapy. "Clinically, this is a particularly exciting finding, because prostate cancer is rarely infiltrated by immune cells. Drake said, "heating these 'cold' tumors" may be the key to successful treatment. †In addition, the algorithm correctly predicted that if IKZF1 expression is increased, colon and kidney tumors will not respond to immunotherapy because the gene is not active in these tumors. In summary, the researchers found an overactive IKZF1 gene in alopecia areata, which can lead to overproduction of immune cells and kill hair follicles; however, activation of IKZF1 activity in tumor cells can enhance the body's immunotherapy of some tumors. reaction. Finally, the researchers point out that treatment based on these findings will take several years, mainly because different methods are needed to activate human IKZF1. But this approach can quickly be used to predict whether patients may respond to immunotherapy and assess their prognosis. Reference materials: 1) Harnessing hair loss gene could improve cancer immunotherapy Original title: Gene talk: Learn about genes that cause hair loss but improve cancer therapy Source: Bio-Exploration Flavonoids Powder,Pueraria Mirifica Powder,Mulberry Leaf Extract,Citrus Aurantium Extract Shaanxi Changsheng Industrial Co., Ltd. , https://www.cncsbio.com
