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Immunotherapy

Enlisting the enemy

Nature Reviews Cancer volume 10, page 667 (2010)Cite this article

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Reduced expression of connexins — proteins that are required for gap junction formation — has been observed in some tumours. Saccheri et al. examined the effect of infecting highly aggressive B16F10 (B16) mouse melanoma cells with S. typhimurium, a bacterium which preferentially homes towards tumours. B16 cells express low levels of the ubiquitously expressed connexin Cx43, but infection with S. typhimurium led to Cx43 upregulation. Is this followed by the formation of functional gap junctions? To test this, the authors co-cultured B16 cells with DCs and observed the transfer of a gap junction-diffusible dye from B16 cells to DCs only when the tumour cells were infected with S. typhimurium, suggesting that Cx43 upregulation induces gap junction formation between tumour cells and adjacent DCs.

the gap junction mechanism of cross-presentation generates a more effective antitumour response

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ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER

  1. Saccheri, F. et al. Bacteria-induced gap junctions in tumors favor antigen cross-presentation and antitumor immunity. Sci. Trans. Med. 2, 44ra57 (2010)

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  1. Meera Swami
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Swami, M. Enlisting the enemy. Nat Rev Cancer 10, 667 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrc2932

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