Researchers have discovered a protective mechanism which is used by the body to protect intestinal stem cells from turning cancerous. The body's innate immune system was found to play a pivotal role in this regard. The researchers were able to demonstrate that, rather than having a purely defensive role, the immune system is crucial in maintaining a healthy body. The study has been published in the journal Nature.
Inside our bowels, there is a meeting of two worlds. It is where the cells of our intestinal cell walls meet foreign materials, such as bacteria, foodstuffs, and the breakdown products of digestion. Both of these worlds - that of our bodies and that of the outside world - are in direct contact, continually exchanging information. This direct contact is of crucial importance to our bodies, as many of the environmental factors we are exposed to (such as certain types of bacteria or essential nutrients) are beneficial or even vital to our health. However, contact with the environment can also have a negative impact on our bodies. Certain foreign substances, for instance, can trigger genetic changes inside the epithelial cells which line our intestinal walls. The accumulation of this type of DNA damage, particularly when it occurs inside epithelial stem cells, can lead to bowel cancer.
To prevent this progression to cancer, cells have the capacity to repair DNA damage. Where damage is too extensive, they can commit 'altruistic cell suicide' (also known as apoptosis). Until now, scientists had assumed that stem cells triggered this repair mechanism independently. However, the study comes to a different conclusion, namely that the immune system is capable of enhancing the DNA repair mechanism in damaged stem cells, thus preventing progression to bowel cancer.
Working with other researchers, the team were able to show in a mouse model that cells of the innate immune system are capable of recognizing genotoxic environmental factors present in the bowel. Among these are certain glucosinolates, natural components of plants which are commonly found in many types of cabbage. Once the cells of the innate immune system detect damaging glucosinolates, they send out interleukin 22, a type of cellular messenger. This, in turn, enables the epithelial stem cells to detect potential DNA damage earlier and repair it faster. "The immune system acts like a sensor that detects genotoxic food components," explains the senior author. "Switching off this sensor results in a significant increase in cases of bowel cancer."
For the immunologist, these findings are not only evidence of a previously unknown regulatory system which is used by the body to protect itself against bowel cancer. It is also evidence of the fact that the immune system's functions are far more complex than that of a simple defense mechanism against pathogens. "The immune system monitors both the healthy growth and function of different organs in the body," explains the author. The team would like to use future research studies to explore the complex interaction between food components, intestinal flora, the intestinal wall and the immune system in greater detail
https://www.charite.de/en/service/press_reports/artikel/detail/wie_das_immunsystem_vor_darmkrebs_schuetzt/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-0899-7
Latest News
Role of fat in rare neurolo…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
How protein synthesis in de…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Atlas of mRNA variants in d…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Mapping microbiome in metas…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Full-length mRNA packaged i…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Other Top Stories
Human brain compensation in hemispherectomy!
Read more
New players in the fertilization may help to address infertility
Read more
Expert's brain has selective sub networks!
Read more
Inflammation drives tau and amyloid pathologies!
Read more
How the brain decides to punish or not
Read more
Protocols
A programmable targeted pro…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
MemPrep, a new technology f…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
A tangible method to assess…
By newseditor
Posted 08 Apr
Stem cell-derived vessels-o…
By newseditor
Posted 06 Apr
Single-cell biclustering fo…
By newseditor
Posted 01 Apr
Publications
Long-term neuropsychologica…
By newseditor
Posted 23 Apr
Neuronal activity rapidly r…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
A perspective on muscle phe…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Foxp1 suppresses cortical a…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
Single-cell long-read seque…
By newseditor
Posted 22 Apr
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