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Comment
. 2023 Dec 13;31(12):1945-1947.
doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2023.11.001.

Bacterial antigens unleash tumor-targeting immunity

Nina Boeck  1 , Zlatko Trajanoski  2 , Lorenzo Galluzzi  3
Affiliations
Comment

Bacterial antigens unleash tumor-targeting immunity

Nina Boeck et al. Cell Host Microbe. .

Abstract

The composition of the gut microbiome has been shown to influence disease outcome in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). In a recent Nature Biotechnology article, Wang et al. demonstrate that killing CRC-associated bacteria with a liposomal antibiotic elicits CRC-targeting immune responses of therapeutic relevance as a consequence of epitope mimicry.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests L.G. is/has been holding research contracts with Lytix Biopharma, Promontory and Onxeo, has received consulting/advisory honoraria from Boehringer Ingelheim, AstraZeneca, OmniSEQ, Onxeo, The Longevity Labs, Inzen, Imvax, Sotio, Promontory, Noxopharm, EduCom, and the Luke Heller TECPR2 Foundation, and holds Promontory stock options.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Tumor-targeting immune responses elicited by antigen mimicry.
Central tolerance as generated by positive and negative thymocyte selection results in the deletion of useless or strongly autoreactive T cell clones. However, a large number of potentially autoreactive T cells survive thymic selection, but are generally unable to react against self entities thanks to peripheral tolerance mechanisms. In specific settings, including exposure to high amounts of microbial antigens, for instance after eradication of colorectal cancer (CRC)-associated Fusabacterium nucleatum infection by liposome-targeted antibiotic therapy, peripheral tolerance against CRC epitopes that structurally resemble microbial antigens can be lost. At least in some scenarios, this strategy may be employed to elicit tumor-targeting immune responses driven by antigen mimicry. TAM, tumor-associate macrophage; TCR, T-cell receptor. Created with BioRender.com
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

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