In their study published in Cancer Cell, Pennsylvania scientists aimed to characterize the so-called tumor-associated neutrophil (TAN) that was found at high levels in the microenvironment of tumors in samples of early-stage lung cancer. Neutrophils are normally first-responders to an infection site, killing pathogens by engulfing them and releasing perforating enzymes. Antigen-presenting cells include a variety of different lymphocytes that intercept pathogens and display pieces of them on their cell surface for cells like T lymphocytes to recognize, warning them of an invasion.
“Our findings demonstrate that the early-stage lung tumor microenvironment can drive neutrophils to differentiate into a cell subset with enhanced anti-tumor capabilities,” explained coauthor of the study Sunil Singhal, MD. “Interestingly, this hybrid population disappears as tumors enlarge.”
In addition to targeting and fighting cancer cells, cytotoxic T cells kill viruses, bacteria, and even protozoa. Cytotoxic T cells cleverly cause death in foreign cells by reprogramming their cellular machinery so they will undergo apoptosis, a process of programmed cell death.
“Perhaps if we can expand the hybrid neutrophils in patients early on, we can augment anti-tumor T cell activity,” suggested senior author of the study Evgeniy B. Eruslanov, PhD. Considering the role of cytotoxic T cells in other pathologies in addition to cancer, therapy using hybrid neutrophils could be useful for multiple diseases in the future.
Sources: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease. 5th edition., PubMed Health, Nature