The immune system's double life: a defender protein that also keeps cholesterol — and tumours — in check

A protein best known as an alarm bell against viruses turns out to moonlight as a housekeeper. Scientists at the University of North Carolina's Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Pengda Liu, found that the protein cGAS also switches on a second protein, LGALS3, which reins in the cell's production of acetyl-CoA — a building block of cholesterol. In laboratory and mouse studies published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, tumours grown without cGAS grew significantly faster and stockpiled more cholesterol; restoring cGAS or LGALS3 slowed them again. No drug yet targets this pathway, but the team hopes the discovery points to new ways of slowing tumour growth and making existing cancer treatments work better.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: tech innovation