Authors:	Ustjanzew, Arsenij Sencio, Valentin Trottein, François Faber, Jörg Sandhoff, Roger Paret, Claudia
Title:	Interaction between bacteria and the immune system for cancer immunotherapy : the α-GalCer Alliance
Online publication date:	13-Jan-2023
Year of first publication:	2022
Language:	english
Abstract:	Non-conventional T cells, such as γδ T and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, are emerging players in fighting cancer. Alpha-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) is used as an exogenous ligand to activate iNKT cells. Human cells don’t have a direct pathway producing α-GalCer, which, however, can be produced by bacteria. We searched the literature for bacteria strains that are able to produce α-GalCer and used available sequencing data to analyze their presence in human tumor tissues and their association with survival. The modulatory effect of antibiotics on the concentration of α-GalCer was analyzed in mice. The human gut bacteria Bacteroides fragilis, Bacteroides vulgatus, and Prevotella copri produce α-GalCer structures that are able to activate iNKT cells. In mice, α-GalCer was depleted upon treatment with vancomycin. The three species were detected in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and rectum adenocarcinoma tissues, and Prevotella copri was also detected in bone tumors and glioblastoma tissues. Bacteroides vulgatus in COAD tissues correlated with better survival. In conclusion, α-GalCer-producing bacteria are part of the human gut microbiome and can infiltrate tumor tissues. These results suggest a new mechanism of interaction between bacteria and immune cells: α-GalCer produced by bacteria may activate non-conventional T cells in tumor tissues, where they can exert a direct or indirect anti-tumor activity.
DDC:	540 Chemie 540 Chemistry and allied sciences 570 Biowissenschaften 570 Life sciences 610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7253
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
Document type specification:	Scientific article
License:	CC BY
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal:	International journal of molecular sciences 23 11
Pages or article number:	5896
Publisher:	MDPI
Publisher place:	Basel
Issue date:	2022
ISSN:	1661-6596 1422-0067
Publisher DOI:	10.3390/ijms23115896
Appears in collections:	DFG-491381577-G