Researchers discover gene that controls colon cancer severity

Regulatory T cells (T_Reg) are essential for the regulation of the immune system. However, there are several types of T_Reg cells, and scientists are only now beginning to differentiate them and understand their functions and roles.

Researchers at Purdue University, including Majid Kazemian, assistant professor of biochemistry and computer science, and a team of collaborators from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Chicago, have found that the TCF-1 gene controls the functions of ‘a specific set of T_Reg cells. Without TCF-1, these T_Reg cells retain their normal repressive function, but they acquire additional properties and become inflammatory: they become more activated, increase cancer signals, and acquire intestinal localization function, resulting in more drastic and dangerous colon cancers. Colon cancer patients have these same T’s_Reg cells lacking TCF-1 in their tumor. Prior to this research, scientists were familiar with many of the major regulators, but this is the first time that the link between TCF-1 and colon cancer has been explored. Future drug development may focus on this path to treat or improve certain types of colon cancer.

“Being able to manage the degree of immune response is extremely important,” Kazemian said. “This is why understand these T_Reg cells is so important. If you have too much of a response, you get autoimmunity. If you have too little of it, you have cancer. Healthy systems must strike a balance between autoimmune diseases and cancer, and a good T_Reg cellular function plays a key role in this process. “

Brief summary of methods

Scientists set out to study the link between TCF-1 and T_Reg cells. They discovered that when they removed the TCF-1, the T_Reg the cells changed their behavior, became intestinal and more numerous. They studied T_Reg cellular activity in mice lacking the gene and compared the activity to T_Reg cells in human patients with colon cancer.