Although cancer research in recent years has been able to significantly improve early diagnosis and therapy, the resistance of advanced colorectal tumors to common chemotherapies still constitutes a major problem and contributes substantially to the high mortality rate of patients with such tumors.
When chemotherapeutic agents cause colon cancer cells to die, they release ATP (adenosine triphosphate) molecules, the cell’s energy currency, as a messenger substance. Researchers have now corroborated this in experiments. This ATP binds to certain receptors (P2X4 purinoreceptors) on the surface of surrounding tumor cells. This activates an important survival signalling pathway in these neighboring cells, which protects them from cell death and makes the tumor resistant to therapy.
The cells killed off by the chemotherapy “warn” their neighboring cells, as it were, and at the same time provide them with a survival strategy. However, if the communication between the dying tumor cells and their neighbors is interrupted – as the scientists were able to show in preclinical models – this raises the efficiency of the chemotherapy many times over, and tumors that were initially resistant respond very well to it.
The first author of the study, explains: “Our research results demonstrate that – despite years of successful research – unknown mechanisms are still being discovered which show us how perfidiously tumor cells evade therapy. Our results now offer a new and promising starting point for substantially improving the response rate of advanced colorectal carcinomas to common chemotherapeutic agents by means of combination therapy.”
The senior author explains: “We were surprised to see that tumor cells have developed communication mechanisms to the point that even the dying ones play an active role in ensuring their neighbors’ survival when under therapeutic ‘attack’. We hope very much that by interrupting the communication between the cells we can achieve this tremendous increase in the effect of standard therapy in patients as well.”
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-05426-1
Survival instructions are passed on to neighboring cells by dying cancer cells
- 776 views
- Added
Latest News
Complete vascularization of…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
Immune cells identified as…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
TB blood test which could d…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Mar
Propionate supplementation…
By newseditor
Posted 27 Mar
Role of human Kallistatin i…
By newseditor
Posted 26 Mar
Other Top Stories
Exposure to farm microbes protect against childhood asthma
Read more
Artificial intelligence to predict customized anti-cancer drug effi…
Read more
Antibody-mediated weight reduction in obese humans
Read more
Neuronal Autophagy Regulates Presynaptic Neurotransmission
Read more
Brain gene that controls food cravings, desire to exercise identified!
Read more
Protocols
Spatial proteomics in neuro…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
All-optical presynaptic pla…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
Epigenomic tomography for p…
By newseditor
Posted 20 Mar
A mouse DRG genetic toolkit…
By newseditor
Posted 17 Mar
An optogenetic method for t…
By newseditor
Posted 13 Mar
Publications
A microfluidic platform int…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
Salmonella manipulates macr…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
BHLHE40/41 regulate microgl…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
Balancing neuronal activity…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
OSBP-mediated PI(4)P-choles…
By newseditor
Posted 28 Mar
Presentations
Hydrogels in Drug Delivery
By newseditor
Posted 12 Apr
Lipids
By newseditor
Posted 31 Dec
Cell biology of carbohydrat…
By newseditor
Posted 29 Nov
RNA interference (RNAi)
By newseditor
Posted 23 Oct
RNA structure and functions
By newseditor
Posted 19 Oct
Posters
A chemical biology/modular…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Aug
Single-molecule covalent ma…
By newseditor
Posted 04 Jul
ASCO-2020-HEALTH SERVICES R…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-HEAD AND NECK CANCER
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar
ASCO-2020-GENITOURINARY CAN…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Mar