Regulatory T Cells and Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells Within the Tumor Microenvironment in Gastric Cancer Are Correlated With Gastric Microbiota Dysbiosis: A Preliminary StudyOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
The relationship between gastric mucosal microbiota and immunosuppressive immune cells, regulatory T cells (Tregs) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), within the gastric cancer tumor microenvironment.
How was it studied?
Sixty-four gastric cancer patients without prior chemotherapy were enrolled retrospectively. Normal, peritumoral, and tumoral tissue samples underwent microbiota analysis and immunohistochemistry for Foxp3+ Tregs and BDCA2+ pDCs.
What did they find?
BDCA2+ pDCs and Foxp3+ Tregs were positively correlated with each other and elevated in tumoral and peritumoral tissue versus normal tissue. Microbiota diversity, composition, and function differed most in tumoral tissue. Stenotrophomonas and Selenomonas correlated positively with pDCs and Tregs respectively, while Comamonas and Gaiella correlated negatively with them.
Why it matters
The findings suggest gastric microbiota may help drive an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, pointing to microbiota-targeted strategies as a potential antitumor therapy avenue.