Interaction between Bacteria and the Immune System for Cancer Immunotherapy: The α-GalCer Alliance

oleh: Arsenij Ustjanzew, Valentin Sencio, François Trottein, Jörg Faber, Roger Sandhoff, Claudia Paret

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-05-01

Deskripsi

Non-conventional T cells, such as γδ T and invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, are emerging players in fighting cancer. Alpha-galactosylceramide (α-GalCer) is used as an exogenous ligand to activate iNKT cells. Human cells don’t have a direct pathway producing α-GalCer, which, however, can be produced by bacteria. We searched the literature for bacteria strains that are able to produce α-GalCer and used available sequencing data to analyze their presence in human tumor tissues and their association with survival. The modulatory effect of antibiotics on the concentration of α-GalCer was analyzed in mice. The human gut bacteria <i>Bacteroides fragilis</i>, <i>Bacteroides vulgatus,</i> and <i>Prevotella copri</i> produce α-GalCer structures that are able to activate iNKT cells. In mice, α-GalCer was depleted upon treatment with vancomycin. The three species were detected in colon adenocarcinoma (COAD) and rectum adenocarcinoma tissues, and <i>Prevotella copri</i> was also detected in bone tumors and glioblastoma tissues. <i>Bacteroides vulgatus</i> in COAD tissues correlated with better survival. In conclusion, α-GalCer-producing bacteria are part of the human gut microbiome and can infiltrate tumor tissues. These results suggest a new mechanism of interaction between bacteria and immune cells: α-GalCer produced by bacteria may activate non-conventional T cells in tumor tissues, where they can exert a direct or indirect anti-tumor activity.