As soon as a T cell recognises a tumour cell, it not only disables its target but also affects the rest of the tumour by secreting the signaling molecule interferon gamma (IFN-γ). The study was led by Ton Schumacher and Jacco van Rheenen. An article detailing this discovery was published on 9 March in the new scientific journal Nature Cancer.
Immune cells and tumour cells wage war at a distance
11-03-2020
A T cell is an immune cell that can recognise and destroy tumour cells. For many years, scientists viewed this as a kind of one-to-one combat, but researchers Miriam Hoekstra and Laura Bornes of the Netherlands Cancer Institute have discovered that the effects of a T cell extend far beyond its target.
The article: Long-distance modulation of bystander tumour cells by CD8+ T cell-secreted IFNγ
Authors: Mirjam E. Hoekstra, Laura Bornes#, Feline E. Dijkgraaf, Daisy Philips, Iris N. Pardieck, Daniela S. Thommen, Jacco van Rheenen & Ton N.M. Schumacher.
Published in Nature Cancer, 9 March 2020.