Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how tumor cells can outsmart the immune system. They have discovered what they call the “mosquito effect,” which involves the transfer of cytoplasmic material from cancerous tumor cells to immune system T cells. This groundbreaking research sheds light on how specific pathogens, like tumor cells, are able to suppress the immune system and spread uncontrollably.
The study demonstrates that T cells incorporate cytoplasm from tumor cells into their own cytoplasm, similar to how mosquitoes ingest blood from their hosts. While it has been known that various cells can transfer cellular material, this phenomenon has never been observed in T cells before.
Using single-cell RNA sequencing, the researchers found that the tumor cell cytoplasm alters the machinery responsible for protein coding in the host T cell. This discovery provides valuable insights into how tumors successfully evade the immune system, paving the way for the development of more effective treatments.
The ability of certain pathogens to suppress the immune system and propagate rapidly has long been a mystery in the field of medicine. T cells play a crucial role in identifying and attacking pathogens, while T regulatory cells regulate the T cells’ response to prevent unnecessary damage to healthy tissues.
Cancerous tumor cells, however, have managed to bypass the immune system and cause significant harm to healthy tissues. The exact mechanisms through which tumor cells achieve this remain unknown. However, the research team at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has observed for the first time that T cells and T regulatory cells incorporate a portion of tumor cytoplasm into their own.
To make this discovery, the team engineered tumor cells to produce a fluorescent protein called ZsGreen, which glows brightly. They introduced these green-glowing tumor cells into a mouse model. After eight days, they analyzed the tumor-infiltrating immune cells of the model, using state-of-the-art equipment at UMass Amherst’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences.
The results were remarkable. The T cells and T regulatory cells were uniformly glowing green, indicating that the tumor’s cytoplasm had spread throughout these immune cells. Additionally, the team found that the cells which glowed the brightest were the most exhausted from fighting the tumor.
The researchers determined that the transfer of cellular material between tumor cells and the immune system requires physical contact between the cells. They now aim to explore why T cells incorporate tumor cytoplasm and why the least aggressive immune cells have the most tumor cytoplasm in them. They also want to investigate whether the tumor is exploiting this mechanism to suppress T cells.
This groundbreaking research provides new insights into the complex relationship between tumors and the immune system. By understanding how tumors can evade immune responses, scientists can develop more targeted and effective treatments to combat cancer. The future studies prompted by this discovery have the potential to revolutionize our understanding of tumor immune evasion mechanisms and open up new avenues for cancer therapies.
*Note:
1. Source: Coherent Market Insights, Public sources, Desk research
2. We have leveraged AI tools to mine information and compile it
Ravina Pandya, Content Writer, has a strong foothold in the market research industry. She specializes in writing well-researched articles from different industries, including food and beverages, information and technology, healthcare, chemical and materials, etc. With an MBA in E-commerce, she has an expertise in SEO-optimized content that resonates with industry professionals.