TRF2 inhibits a cell-extrinsic pathway through which natural killer cells eliminate cancer cells
Menée in vitro et à l'aide de xénogreffes, cette étude met en évidence des mécanismes par lesquels la protéine TRF2, impliquée dans la protection des télomères, inhibe une voie de signalisation régulant l'activation de cellules NK par les cellules tumorales
Dysfunctional telomeres suppress tumour progression by activating cell-intrinsic programs that lead to growth arrest. Increased levels of TRF2, a key factor in telomere protection, are observed in various human malignancies and contribute to oncogenesis. We demonstrate here that a high level of TRF2 in tumour cells decreased their ability to recruit and activate natural killer (NK) cells. Conversely, a reduced dose of TRF2 enabled tumour cells to be more easily eliminated by NK cells. Consistent with these results, a progressive upregulation of TRF2 correlated with decreased NK cell density during the early development of human colon cancer. By screening for TRF2-bound genes, we found that HS3ST4—a gene encoding for the heparan sulphate (glucosamine) 3-O-sulphotransferase 4—was regulated by TRF2 and inhibited the recruitment of NK cells in an epistatic relationship with TRF2. Overall, these results reveal a TRF2-dependent pathway that is tumour-cell extrinsic and regulates NK cell immunity.