Immune surveillance of brain metastatic cancer cells is mediated by IFITM1

This research paper investigates how lung cancer cells colonize the brain and evade the immune system. The study found that a protein called IFITM1 plays a crucial role in helping the immune system recognize and eliminate these metastatic cancer cells in the brain. The study showed that cancer cells with high levels of IFITM1 can activate immune cells called microglia and CD8+ T cells, which work together to destroy the cancer cells. The researchers also found that low levels of IFITM1 are associated with poorer survival in lung cancer patients. The paper suggests that increasing IFITM1 expression in metastatic cells, combined with existing immunotherapy treatments, could be a promising strategy to reduce brain metastasis. This means boosting the body's natural defenses to fight cancer spread to the brain.

• 1
  Loss of IFITM1 promotes brain colonization of human lung cancer cells, identified through in vivo genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening.
• 2
  IFITM1 enhances the cytolytic activity of CD8+ T cells by increasing the expression and membrane localization of major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC-I).
• 3
  In human cancer clinical trials, immune checkpoint blockade therapy response was significantly correlated with IFITM1 expression.