doi: 10. 1038/s 4 1586-0 19- 1228-x
Recently, in a research report published in the international magazine Nature, scientists from Texas A&M University found that a small fragment of human gene STING (the stimulator of interferon gene) is the key to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer. In this paper, the researchers found a specific protein motif, which may help scientists to develop new drugs to inhibit the unknown immune response caused by autoimmune diseases.
STING is a special protein, which can transmit the signal of immune response in human and other animals. In this paper, the researchers found a protein motif named plplplrt/SD, which is a short-chain amino acid sequence near the protein terminal of STING, and plays a vital role in opening up the immune system and resisting virus infection. TBK 1 is a protein kinase, which is related to the pathogenesis of many diseases, such as frontotemporal dementia, some cancers and autoimmune diseases such as lupus. Researcher Li said that we identified a short-chain sequence in STING, protein, which can recruit and activate TBK 1, thus opening the body's own immune response.
2Sci stands for: heavy! A new drug may regulate the body's immune system to effectively resist tumor attacks.
doi: 10. 1038/srep 253 1 1
Researchers at Keio University in Japan pointed out in a research report published in the international journal Science Report that a drug used to treat blood diseases may help to prevent the growth of various types of solid tumors by stimulating the immune system of patients. This drug, 5- aza -CdR, is currently used to treat hematological diseases that may induce leukemia. It can inhibit DNA methylation, thus inhibiting the chemical modification of genomic DNA by enzymes. This modification will change the expression of genes that control many key cell functions, including cell growth and survival.
Nowadays, some studies have found that methylation inhibitors such as 5- aza -CdR can also be used to treat other types of cancer. These effects may be attributed to the fact that drugs can reactivate the expression of tumor suppressor genes, but the molecular mechanism involved is not clear. In this study, researcher Yoshimasa Saito and his colleagues began to clarify the working principle of the drug 5-aza-CdR through research. First of all, they evaluated the therapeutic effect of 5-aza-CdR on the mouse model of intestinal cancer, and found that the drug can inhibit the growth of about one third of the tumor, and the tumor size in the treated mice is often smaller than that in the untreated mice.
3Sci Immunol: A new method may reactivate T cells to effectively fight cancer.
doi: 10. 1 126/sciimmunol . AAP 9520
Recently, scientists from the University of Virginia and other institutions have discovered a new method through research, which may reactivate the function of T cells exhausted by anti-cancer. Related research was published in the international journal Scientific Immunology. In this paper, the researchers explained the influence of the decreased level of enolase 1 (enolase 1) on T cells, and how to bypass this influence and "charge" the body's immune system.
Previous studies have shown that the immune system sometimes cannot effectively resist cancerous tumor tissues, because when tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (til) attack tumor tissues, they often lose energy, and tired T cells may not effectively kill cancer cells, thus making tumor tissues proliferate. Researchers believe that T cells may become "listless" because hungry tumor cells take away glucose. In this study, they found a new way to overcome this problem, so that TILs can.
4Nat Cell Biol: Identify a special "chromosome scanner" protein to help the body fight cancer.
doi: 10. 1038/s 4 1556-0 19-0282-9
Recently, scientists from the University of Copenhagen and other Danish institutions have determined a new mechanism to repair the serious damage of human DNA through research. Related research was published in the international journal Nature Cell Biology. The researchers pointed out that this special "scanner" in cells can determine whether the flawless DNA repair process has started.
There are two basic repair systems for severe DNA damage, but only one of them is perfect. If the system does not work properly, DNA damage will increase the risk of cancer. As we all know, the mutation of BRCA gene can induce hereditary ovarian cancer and breast cancer. Professor Anja Groth, a researcher, said that we clarified the molecular mechanism that cells open a "perfect system" to repair serious DNA damage, which can protect the body from cancer.
5NEJM: Individualized cancer treatment or help to resist tumor tolerance to targeted drugs.
doi: 10. 1056/nejmoa 1508887
Gene mutation drugs for tumor growth have brought revolutionary changes to the treatment of many serious cancers, but in many cases, tumors are resistant to drugs, and tumors often promote the emergence of drug resistance by generating new mutations, which requires scientists to continuously develop more potential drugs to overcome drug-resistant tumors. Recently, in a research paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital used a variety of targeted therapies to detect the evolution of drug resistance in lung cancer patients. When tolerance promotes the development of the third-generation targeted therapy, new mutations will restore the response of cancer cells to the first-generation targeted therapy.
Dr Alice Shaw said that for many tumor patients who have relapsed after using the first-generation inhibitor drugs (such as crizotinib), a new generation of inhibitor therapy with more potential and selectivity may be more effective in treating patients. However, cancers that are resistant to the new generation of inhibitors usually develop resistance to less powerful inhibitors, and usually promote resistance to the new generation of inhibitors by generating new mutations, while becoming sensitive to the older generation of inhibitors.
doi: 10. 1080/2 162402 x . 20 19. 1608 106
Cancer therapy that uses immune cells to stimulate the body to attack tumors can be improved by a molecule that enhances its function. Studies on mice have found that the improved therapy has produced a strong anti-cancer immune response, leading to tumor shrinkage. Preliminary experiments show that this molecule has a similar effect on human cells and may promote the success of cancer treatment. This molecule, called LL-37, is a natural reaction of human body to infection and helps to kill harmful bacteria and viruses.
Recently, scientists at the University of Edinburgh found that it can also affect immune cells and enhance their functions. In particular, this molecule enhances the function of specific cells, which are responsible for initiating targeted immune responses called dendritic cells. Dendritic cells have been used in cancer treatment because they can trigger other immune cells to recognize and attack tumors. This method usually includes taking samples of patients' own cells, culturing them under special conditions in the laboratory, and then injecting them into patients. This process is expensive and is hindered by the difficulty in preparing a sufficient number of dendritic cells with correct characteristics for treatment.
7PNAS: How can anti-tumor cells treat glioma?
doi: 10. 1073/PNAS . 182 1442 1 16
Glioblastoma is an incurable brain tumor, which is usually associated with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation. The main EGFR mutation found in glioblastoma is called EGFRvIII, which was treated with antibody mAb806 developed by Ludwig Cancer Institute about 20 years ago, but its mechanism of action is still unclear. In cooperation with Stockholm University (Sweden) and the University of California, San Diego, researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences revealed how this antibody acts on mutant EGFR, thus greatly expanding its application.
This study, published in PNAS Daily, paves the way for new treatments for cancer. The results of this work show that, contrary to previous ideas, mAb806 can be used to treat many tumors with EGFR mutations, not just specific mutations. In addition, scientists have proved that EGFR can be treated even without mutation, making it sensitive to mAb806 treatment. "This discovery lays a reasonable foundation for anti-EGFR combination therapy with antibodies and kinase inhibitors, instead of' blindly testing' them, as has been done so far," said modesto Orozco, director of the molecular simulation and bioinformatics laboratory of IRB Barcelona. Previous studies have reported that mAb806 recognizes EGFR regions that are usually hidden. In some tumors carrying EGFRvIII, half of the receptors have been removed, making this region accessible, thus allowing the therapeutic use of antibodies. Researchers have now proved that many different mutations in EGFR have changed the shape of the receptor, enabling mAb806 to detect this "hidden" region.
Foods rich in flavonoids, such as apples and tea, can protect the body from cancer and heart disease.
doi: 10. 1038/s 4 1467-0 19- 1 1622-x
A few days ago, in a research report published in the international magazine Nature Communications, scientists from the University of Ediscovan found that eating foods rich in flavonoids (such as apples and tea) may help the body effectively resist cancer and heart disease, especially for smokers and alcoholics.
In this study, researchers evaluated the dietary status of 53,048 Danes in 23 years. They found that people who habitually eat moderate or large amounts of foods rich in flavonoids (flavonoids in plant foods and drinks) may not die of cancer or heart disease. Researcher Dr. Nicola Bondonno said that people who eat foods rich in flavonoids have a lower risk of death, and this protective effect seems to be the strongest for those who have a higher risk of chronic diseases due to smoking and drinking more than two standard alcoholic beverages every day.
9JEM: It is the first time to directly observe the process of CAR-T cells resisting hematologic cancer.
Doi: 10. 1084/ JEM 20 182375
When cancer escapes from the body's immune system, our defense system will become powerless and unable to effectively resist cancer. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR T cells) may show a potential immunotherapy, which can effectively deal with tumors. However, the recurrence of some patients' diseases often poses a great challenge to the current treatment. Recently, scientists from Pasteur Institute and other institutions have determined the precise function of automobile T cells through research. Or it can optimize the treatment of cancer in the future, and related research is published in the international magazine Journal of Experimental Medicine.
One of the anti-cancer strategies is to modify the patient's own T lymphocytes so that they can recognize the target molecule CD 19 expressed by tumor cells, thus effectively eliminating cancer cells. Clinical trials have proved that this method is very effective, so this therapy is often used to treat patients with hematological tumors in adults and children, but some of them will have cancer recurrence. In order to improve the effectiveness of treatment, the researchers clarified the fine chemical mechanism of CAR T cells in this study.
10 natcommune: Intestinal microflora may direct the immune system to fight cancer.
doi: 10. 1038/s 4 1467-0 19-09525-y
Recently, in a research report published in the international magazine Nature News, scientists from Sanford burnham Pu Raabis Institute of Medical Discovery clarified the causal relationship between intestinal microflora and the anti-cancer ability of the immune system. In the article, the researchers identified 1 1 species of bacteria. It can activate the immune system of mice and slow down the progress of melanoma. In addition, the researchers also clarified the key role of unfolded protein reaction, which is a cell signaling pathway that can maintain protein homeostasis. Researchers often observe the decrease of UPR level in melanoma patients who respond to immune checkpoint treatment, which may reveal the potential signs of stratification of patients.
Researcher Thomas Gajewski said that immunotherapy can prolong the life of many cancer patients. By studying the molecular mechanism of patients' response and tolerance to treatment, we can expand the number of patients who benefit from chemotherapy. In this study, we established the relationship between microbiome and anti-tumor immunity, and revealed the key role of UPR in this process. Related research results may help researchers to classify melanoma patients treated with selective checkpoint inhibitors.