High glucose thickens cancer cells' sugar shield, helping them evade immune attack
Like spies evading detection by mastering disguises, many cancer cells are adorned with a copious coat of sugar-derived molecules that throws the proverbial hounds of the immune system off the scent.
Scientists at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute have discovered that cancer cells' ability to evade the immune system is linked to the thickness of a sugar-derived coating on their cell surfaces. This glycoconjugate barrier, known as the glycocalyx, is influenced by the conditions of the tumor microenvironment, which includes nearby immune cells, connective tissue, blood vessels, and proteins.
The researchers found that hyperglycemia, or high glucose levels, causes the glycocalyx to thicken in cancer cells grown in conditions mimicking the tumor microenvironment. This thickening helps cancer cells evade immune detection. The study also revealed that a protein called heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) plays a key role in modifying the glycocalyx composition when exposed to hyperglycemia.
Blocking HSF1 might offer a promising strategy to thin the glycocalyx and enhance the immune system's ability to target and eliminate cancer cells.
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