E-Mail
A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine reveals a novel role of the steroid receptor coactivator 3 (SRC-3/NCOA3), a protein crucial for steroid hormone function and a prognostic marker for aggressive human breast and other cancers.
The team discovered that SRC-3 also regulates human immune T regulatory cells (Tregs), which contribute to the regulation of the body s immunological activity by suppressing the function of other immune cells, including those involved in fighting cancer. The study, which appears in the journal
Scientific Reports, shows that Tregs whose SRC-3 function was eliminated failed to suppress the activity of other immune cells in the lab. The authors anticipate that their findings may help in the fight against cancer in the future by leading to new approaches to inhibit Tregs activity which consequently would release immune attack in tumors.