Nat Immunol: Sugar and fat play the opposite role in cancer cell immunotherapy

JANUARY 23, 2021 /--- In a new study, researchers from research institutions such as the University of Lisbon in Portugal, Queen Mary College of the University of London in the United Kingdom, and the Bregan Women's Hospital in the United States found that the function of a type of white blood cell subsype called gamma delta T cell is regulated by metabolites sugars and fats.
results of the study were published online January 18, 2021 in the journal Nature Immunology under the title "Distinct metabolic programs established in the thymus control effector functions of the "T cell subsets in tumor microenvironment."
author daniel J. Pennington of Queen Mary College, University of London.
photo from Nature Immunology, 2021, doi:10.1038/s41590-020-00848-3.
these findings open up new avenues for using sugar metabolism in gamma T cells as an effective tool for cancer cell immunotherapy, and further establish the concept that high cholesterol levels prevent this treatment from being effective.
T cells are a sub-group of white blood cells with the ability to effectively eliminate tumor cells.
researchers have been studying the biological properties of these cells for years and have developed programs to use them in cancer cell immunotherapy, which is scheduled for clinical trials later this year.
now, in this preclinical study, the researchers found that the anti-tumor function of gamma T cells that can lead to the elimination of tumor cells depends on the intake and metabolism of glucose, a simple sugar.
First author Noella Lopes explained, "Our results suggest that by supplementing t-T cells with high levels of glucose and transplanting them into a mouse model of breast cancer, they can greatly increase their ability to inhibit tumor growth."
also show that adding cholesterol (a type of fat) to gamma T cells enhances their cancer-promoting effects, which means that cholesterol is the molecule that helps breast tumors grow.
the same was observed when models of melanoma mice were fed a cholesterol-rich diet.
the researchers also found that this differentiated use of energy resources (sugar and fat) has been found in the thymus that produces T cells and has been maintained in various tissues and tumors in the body --- including the breast cancer models and colorectal cancer models they studied---
results open up new prospects for immunotherapy based on metabolic principles aimed at stimulating anti-tumor gamma T lymphocytes more effectively.
, on the other hand, a better understanding of the harmful effects of cholesterol on tumor progress has raised important questions about the effects of diet on cancer immunotherapy.
(Bioon.com) Reference: 1.Noella Lopes et al. Distinct metabolic programs established in the thymus control effector functions of γδ T cell subsets in tumor microenvironments. Nature Immunology, 2021, doi:10.1038/s41590-020-00848-3.2.New study identifies opposite roles of sugars and fat on cellular immunotherapy of cancer