A protein older than blood circulation could transform cancer immunotherapy
Scientists at Nagoya University have discovered that the protein complement C3, when produced locally within tumor tissue, helps the immune system fight cancer. This mechanism prevents immunosuppressive cells from entering the tumor microenvironment, offering a potential new target for immunotherapy.
Why it matters
Understanding the local role of C3 could lead to more effective cancer treatments for patients whose tumors do not naturally produce sufficient levels of the protein.
An immune molecule that appeared in evolution long before blood circulation may help improve cancer immunotherapy. Scientists at Nagoya University in Japan discovered that complement C3 can prevent immune-suppressing cells from building up inside tumors, but only when the protein is produced locally within the tumor. C3 traveling through the bloodstream did not influence how well treatment worked.
The findings, published in Nature Communications , suggest that reproducing this local effect could benefit patients whose tumors do not produce enough C3 naturally.
C3 is an evolutionarily ancient protein found even in simple animals such as sponges and jellyfish. Most C3 is made in the liver and released into the bloodstream, where it helps the immune system defend the body against infections.
Scientists know much less about what C3 does when it is produced directly inside tissues and organs.
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