Project 466631

A network of different cell types within a tumor, such as cancer stem cells and immune cells, regulates tumor growth and survival. Current drugs are ineffective in the targeted disruption of cancer stem cells, which enables these cells to retain their potential to initiate tumor growth. Immune cells can infiltrate tumors and create an environment that supresses or supports cancer cell survival. In our studies, we have identified that the protein C1q-TNF related protein 8 (CTRP8) is present in immune cell populations of brain, breast, lung and prostate cancer tissue. We have also observed that immune cells that support aggressive tumor growth produce higher levels of CTRP8. Much remains unknown about the function of CTRP8, but our recent findings have identified CTRP8 as a promising new link between the immune system and cancer biology.We have previously found that presence of CTRP8 in the brain tumor glioblastoma causes cancer cells to invade surrounding tissue and become resistant to treatment drugs. In our ongoing investigation of the roles of CTPR8 in cancer, we discovered a new interaction that occurs between CTRP8 and Delta-like homolog protein 1 (DLK1). In many cancers, including brain tumors, DLK1 keeps tumor cells in a cancer stem-cell like state. The new CTRP8 and DLK1 interaction will highlight new functional immune-tumor cell networks and their impact on the cancer stem cell population of tumors.