Environmental stress can influence anti-tumor immune responses. In Cancer Immunology Research, Xiao et al. identify a positive role for the neuropeptide BDNF in eliciting enhanced cytotoxic CD8+ T cells directed against melanoma tumors. Mice living in socially stimulating environments express more BDNF. Both the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis contribute to the effects mediated by BDNF. Enhanced hypothalamic expression of BDNF increases the frequency of anti-tumor CD8+ T cells in lymph nodes and diminishes the tumor burden, whereas suppression of BDNF expression produces the opposite effect. These findings indicate a role for neural-immunological communication that can lead to better control of tumor progression.
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Dempsey, L. Mind over tumor. Nat Immunol 17, 905 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3528
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ni.3528