Clinicopathological characterization and therapeutic proposals for tuft cell-like thoratic cancers

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K06902
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 49020:Human pathology-related
• Research Institution: Kyoto University
• Principal Investigator: Yosuke Yamada 京都大学, 医学研究科, 講師 (40742622)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: タフト (tuft) 細胞 / 塩類細胞 / 胸腺がん / 胸腺腫 / 肺がん / 乳がん

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We explored the clinicopathological features of tumors with tuft cell-like expression profiles, mainly focusing on thymic and lung cancers. As representative achievements, we found that tuft cell-like lung cancers also exhibit gene expression profiles of ionocytes, another rare epithelial cell type, and that tuft cell-like small cell lung carcinomas are sensitive to PARP and BCL2 co-inhibition. Furthermore, we proposed that "tuft cell-like" carcinomas are present in multiple organs, with unique biological features, and that tuft cells may be physiologically present in organs where they have not been previously known to exist.

Free Research Field

病理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

正常のtuft細胞の機能は2016年頃より、tuft細胞に類似した発現プロファイルを示すがん腫は2018年に報告されたばかりで、tuft細胞や "tuft細胞様" がんの特性は未だ十分には明らかになっていない。本助成事業に係る一連の研究は、胸部腫瘍を中心としつつ、全身のtuft細胞様がんの認識やその特性の解明に寄与した点で学術的意義がある。加えて、tuft細胞様がんのユニークな薬剤感受性を明らかにした点で、研究成果には社会的意義もあると考える。