Cannibalistic Cells Could Provide an Edge in Future Cancer Treatments

taylorvich writes:

https://newatlas.com/medical/rac2-protein-macrophages-cannibalize-t-cells-cancer-immunotherapy/

Following a trail of evidence that started with a study of fruit flies nearly 25 years ago, researchers have found adding a hyperactive form of the protein Rac2 to macrophages, immune cells that eat pathogens, causes them to cannibalize T cells. The novel technique could potentially boost the effectiveness of an emerging cancer treatment.

Rac proteins have been around for a long time. Deeply conserved in evolution, the proteins are thought to have been present in the earliest nucleated cells. But, despite their age, scientists are still uncovering their mysteries. In a new study, researchers from the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) discovered more about how Rac proteins work and how they could potentially improve cancer treatment.

The human genome encodes three Rac proteins. Rac1 is expressed ubiquitously, Rac2 is expressed predominantly in cells that produce blood components (hematopoietic cells), and Rac3 is expressed primarily in brain tissue. Back in 1996, researchers studying fruit flies found that the proteins were instrumental in cell movement and that a hyperactive form of Rac1, expressed in only a few cells in a fly's egg chamber, destroyed the whole tissue.

"Just expressing this active Rac in six to eight cells kills the entire tissue, which is composed of about 900 cells," said Abhinava Mishra, the current study's lead author.

That was as far as the researchers got in the '90s. It wasn't until a few years ago that research started to emerge suggesting that cannibalism might be the cause of this tissue destruction.

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