Study Of Tumor Growth And Tissue Disruption Identifies Key Components In The Immune Response To Cancers

Main Category: Cancer / Oncology
Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines;  Biology / Biochemistry
Article Date: 19 Sep 2008 - 1:00 PDT

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Knee scrapes and tumor growth might have more in common than you think.

The idea that tumor growth triggers the same immune response as a cut or wound was once a highly controversial notion. However, increasing evidence supports the idea that the same cellular mechanisms which heal a skinned knee might also have a role in preventing the growth of tumors. A report published in Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), http://dmm.biologists.org/, now reveals more details about the common links between tumor growth and tissue damage in flies.

Tian Xu and colleagues at the Yale University School of Medicine examined the activity of hemocytes, a type of immune cell, in response to genetically-induced tumor growth in the fruit fly Drosophila. They found that tumors caused circulating hemocytes to replicate and adhere to the tumor surface, thereby limiting tumor growth. They compared this hemocyte response to cell activity in normal flies which were wounded and had tissue damage. Hemocyte profileration in these flies occurred just as in the tumor-producing fly. Furthermore, by examining the molecular signals triggered in the immune response, Xu's team discovered that the tumor's physical disruption and damage of nearby tissues at least in part triggered the hemocyte response.

This study not only supports previously reported links between immune responses and cancer, but also identifies key pathways in the fly's immune response to tumor growth and tissue disruption. These pathways are likewise shared in humans, demonstrating that the fly can be used to study potential drug targets which could enhance the body's natural immune response against cancer.

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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Commentary on this work by researcher Tian Xu will be featured in the DMM Podcast for issue 2/3 of DMM. Podcasts are available via the DMM website at: http://dmm.biologists.org/.

The report was written by José Carlos Pastor-Pareja, Ming Wu, and Tian Xu of the Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT. The report was published in the September/October issue of a new research journal, Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM), published by The Company of Biologists, a non-profit based in Cambridge, UK.

About Disease Models & Mechanisms:

Disease Models & Mechanisms (DMM) is a new research journal publishing both primary scientific research, as well as review articles, editorials, and research highlights. The journal's mission is to provide a forum for clinicians and scientists to discuss basic science and clinical research related to human disease, disease detection and novel therapies. DMM is published by the Company of Biologists, a non-profit organization based in Cambridge, UK.

The Company also publishes the international biology research journals Development, Journal of Cell Science, and The Journal of Experimental Biology. In addition to financing these journals, the Company provides grants to scientific societies and supports other activities including travelling fellowships for junior scientists, workshops and conferences. The world's poorest nations receive free and unrestricted access to the Company's journals.

Source: Nick Birch
The Company of Biologists