A novel mechanism for evasion of CTL immunity by altered O-glycosylation

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K06989
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Functional biochemistry
• Research Institution: Hirosaki University
• Principal Investigator: TSUBOI Shigeru 弘前大学, 医学研究科, 客員研究員 (20526727)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 大山 力 弘前大学, 医学研究科, 教授 (80282135)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): KAKIZAKI Ikuko 弘前大学, 大学院医学研究科, 准教授 (80302024)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-10-21 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 腫瘍免疫 / 細胞傷害性Tリンパ球 / 膀胱癌 / 転移

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have tumor immunity to suppress cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.However, cancer exerts the versatile immune evasion strategies to predominate over tumor immunity. A series of our studies revealed that bladder cancer cells evade each tumor immune system by different evasion strategies using altered glycosylation. A glycosyltransferase, C2GnT forms a branched structure called core 2 O-glycans on cell-surface glycoproteins. To elucidate the roles of core 2 O-glycans in bladder cancer metastasis, we analyzed C2GnT expression in lymph node, a target organ. We showed that bladder cancer cells evade tumor immune system by cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) by downregulating C2GnT expression. C2GnT-negative cancer cells evade CTL attack, resulting in indefinite proliferation in lymph node.

Free Research Field

細胞生物学