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Superpowered Biology

2019; Cell Press; Volume: 178; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.003

1097-4172

Sarah Geisler,

Cancer, Stress, Anesthesia, and Immune Response

Larger-than-life characters transcending space and time, epic action sequences, stunning special effects—who doesn’t enjoy a good superhero movie? These movies, which are often a delightful mix of science fiction and classic themes of good versus evil, captivate and entertain moviegoers the world over. Like the drama and intrigue of a good superhero movie, biology is full of stories that harken similar themes of immortality, epic journeys, and dazzling imagery that engage the curiosity of scientists across the globe. With studies touching upon the origins of villainous superpowers, dark transformations, and augmented sensory abilities, over the past several months some compelling stories along these lines have graced the pages of a number of journals. Tumors are the epitome of a biological supervillain. Fueled by infamous superpowers that include resistance to death, evasion of surveillance, and remodeled metabolism, the destructive path that malignancy leaves on humanity is undeniable. In certain cancers, nerve innervation has been shown to supercharge tumor initiation and jumpstart metastasis. Where these nerves come from, however, has been a mystery until now. The origin story of prostate tumor-associated nerve fibers was revealed in a recent paper published in Nature from Magnon and colleagues, and just like the origin stories of infamous supervillains, it has some rather exciting twists (Mauffrey et al., 2019Mauffrey P. Tchitchek N. Barroca V. Bemelmans A. Firlej V. Allory Y. Roméo P.H. Magnon C. Progenitors from the central nervous system drive neurogenesis in cancer.Nature. 2019; 569: 672-678Crossref PubMed Scopus (133) Google Scholar). Using a mouse model of prostate cancer, Mauffrey et al., probed prostate tumors for a classic marker of neural progenitors. Then, through a series of experiments, they discovered that brain-derived neuroblasts journey from the central nervous system, traverse the blood brain barrier, and travel via blood vessel highways to ultimately infiltrate prostate tumors and drive neo-neurogenesis. While this preclinical study in mice certainly provides some tantalizing insights into the origin of tumor-associated nerves, further investigation will be needed to answer the question of how the findings relate to the development of nerves in human cancer. Every villain has a backstory that explains their transformation toward the dark side, and in the fight against cancer, the more we understand these forces of transformation, the better equipped we are to eventually prevent its villainous wrath. Just as many villains have a cunning ability to evade being caught, cancer is a shifty foe, and in small cell neuroendocrine carcinomas, understanding the molecular mechanisms driving their reprogramming to neuroendocrine phenotypes could inform more effective treatments for these aggressive cancers with bleak prognoses. It was recently reported that both lung and prostate epithelial tissues develop deadly neuroendocrine features in a common reprogramming process (Park et al., 2018Park J.W. Lee J.K. Sheu K.M. Wang L. Balanis N.G. Nguyen K. Smith B.A. Cheng C. Tsai B.L. Cheng D. et al.Reprogramming normal human epithelial tissues to a common, lethal neuroendocrine cancer lineage.Science. 2018; 362: 91-95Crossref PubMed Scopus (153) Google Scholar). Given that distinct human epithelial tissues use a shared mechanism, this opens up the possibility that a common arsenal of clinical weapons could be developed to combat this deadly foe. Villains and superheroes alike often benefit from creative scientists who bend the limits of technology to augment their superhuman abilities. In a study where science fiction appears to meet reality, a group of clever researchers developed nanoparticles that impart upon mice the ability to see in near-infrared (Ma et al., 2019Ma Y. Bao J. Zhang Y. Li Z. Zhou X. Wan C. Huang L. Zhao Y. Han G. Xue T. Mammalian Near-Infrared Image Vision through Injectable and Self-Powered Retinal Nanoantennae.Cell. 2019; 177: 243-255.e15Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (166) Google Scholar). The injectable technology works by binding photoreceptors in the retina and converting normally invisible near-infrared light into a wavelength within the visible spectrum. Developing this kind of technology further could someday hold promise for repairing color blindness. While this year has proved to be a big year for superhero smash hits in the box office, intriguing developmental biology and the real-life wonders that it affords have likewise provided some inspiring stories over the past year. The researchers behind this exciting science are superheroes in their own right, and it will be interesting to see how these stories develop in the coming years to ultimately benefit humanity.