Nature Sub-Journal: Reactivation of the "paralyzed" immune system to fatal brain cancer...

Glioma is the most common primary central nervous system tumor.

To solve this problem, scientists are trying to find innovative treatments that use the immune system to fight gliomas through therapeutic vaccines or immunotherapy, so that cancer patients who have no cures can benefit as soon as possible.

Recently, researchers from research institutions such as the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the University of Freiburg Medical Center, and the Mannheim Medical School of Heidelberg University have jointly published an article titled Tryptophan metabolism in the top academic journal Nature Cancer.

This study found that glioma cells can reprogram and invade immune cells through a common mutation, thereby "paralyzing" the body's immune defense against tumors.

Interestingly, gliomas are not entirely composed of cancer cells.

To this end, researchers began to look for other breakthroughs to combat glioma.

Researchers have discovered that isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) mutations can cause glioma cells to release tumorigenic (R)-2-hydroxyglutarate (R-2-HG), which inhibits the immune system and T cell activity.

IDH mutation causes glioma cells to release R-2-HG

But what makes glioma cells so rampant?

To find out, the researchers deciphered the molecular mechanism by which R-2-HG reprograms macrophages.

AHR signal impairs the function of macrophages in IDH mutant gliomas

Therefore, in view of the negative core role of aryl hydrocarbon receptors, the researchers decided to terminate the function of this key molecule in order to activate the paralyzed immune system.

Anti-tumor immunity can be reversed by pharmacological suppression of AHR

Note: The original text has been deleted

Reference materials:

[1]https://#Abs1

[2]https://medicalxpress.