Role of anchorage-independent growth regulation in tumor progression

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K06829
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Tumor biology
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Sakamoto Takeharu 東京大学, 医科学研究所, 准教授 (70511418)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: がん

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Anchorage-independent growth is characteristic for cancer cells, but the perspective of its regulatory mechanisms remains unclear. To address this, we focused on the molecule X which has been reported to control anchorage independent growth of cancer cells in vitro and tried to clarify the role of molecule X in vivo, especially in tumor progression. The analyses of X knockout mice revealed that molecule X expressed not only in cancer cells but also in host imuunesuppressive cells and increased the number of immunesuppressive cells. The molecule X also promoted tumor growth and lung metastasis in breast cancer model mice.

Free Research Field

分子腫瘍学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究により分子Xが、がん細胞だけでなくがん間質細胞にも発現し、腫瘍免疫を抑制することでがんの進展を促進していることが明らかとなった。分子Xはいわゆるがん精巣抗原であり、精巣以外の正常組織ではほとんど発現していないことから、分子Xを標的としてがん細胞とがん間質細胞の両者を制御することで、新たながん治療法の開発が期待される。