Nature Sub-Journal: Tumor Escape? Blocking its secretion of steroids may slow tumor growth.

Earlier studies have shown that tumors can evade the immune system by making immune cells produce immunosuppressive steroids.
Recently, researchers from the Department of Pathology and MRC Cancer at the Wellcome Sanger Institute at the University of Cambridge found that immune T-cells from mouse skin and breast tumors secrete steroids, while blocking the production of such steroids can slow the growth of tumors in mice.
studies have found that removing a key steroid-producing gene or turning it off with drugs can significantly slow cancer formation or progression, and that the steroid signaling path is a potential drug target for the development of new cancer immunotherapy.
the study was published in the journal Nature Communications under the title "Tumors induce de novo steroid biosynthesis in T Cells to evademmunity".
system is extremely complex.
when immune cells protect the body from tumors and infections, some of the chemicals produced in the body suppress the immune system.
makes it more difficult for the body to fight tumors, and cancer immunotherapy to restore immune system activity is urgently needed.
previous study showed that some immune cells, known as T-cells, produce steroids after infection, reducing their activity to low levels again.
researchers wanted to find out if tumor T cells could behave in the same way.
team tested T-cells for melanoma and breast tumors in mice, using single-cell RNA sequencing to see which genes were activated in each cell.
researchers found that T-cells from tumors do produce steroids, which may reduce their effectiveness against tumors.
Lead author Dr Bidesh Mahata, from the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Sanger Institute, said: 'For the first time, we have seen that tumor T-cells in mice produce immunosuppressive steroids, whereas T-cells in healthy mice do not.
, tumors may instruct their T-cells to produce steroids and then allow them to bypass the immune system and continue to grow.
is an exciting discovery because it means there may be a way to stop steroid production again to treat cancer.
to test the production of off-steroids, the researchers studied mice with a key steroid anabolic gene cyp11a1 missing from T-cells.
they found that although tumors in normal wild mice developed rapidly, tumor growth in mice was inhibited, and all tumors were much smaller and much slower.
also found that a drug that inhibits the activity of the Cyp11a1 protein, aminoglutethimide, also reduced tumors in normal mice.
Dr Jacqui Shields, of the Cancer Division of the Cambridge Medical Research Council, said: "Using mouse models, we have confirmed that preventing T-cells from producing steroids has a significant impact on tumor growth, significantly reducing tumor growth.
whether it's removing key genes or using drugs to stop them from working, it stimulates anti-tumor immunity, " he said.
suggests that steroid-producing pathways may be a real competitor in designing drug targets for cancer immunotherapy that can help treat cancer patients.
"This study may pave the way for new hope for cancer immunotherapy," said senior author Dr. Sarah Teichmann of the Wellcome Institute for the Study of T-cell steroids, which inhibits the growth and metastasis of experimental tumors.
although the results came from mice, preliminary data from human tissue suggest that the same tumor defenses may also occur in humans, and further research is needed to prove direct evidence of cancer in humans.
this confirmed, it could be possible in the future to target this immunosuppressive pathway, create new treatments to restart the immune system and help save lives, " he said.
"Reference: "1" ( 2) Source: Translational Medicine Network !-- the end of the content display -- !-- to determine whether the login ends.