A novel role for mitochondrial fission in macrophages: trained innate immunity induced by beta-glucan

In a recent paper published in Nature Immunology,Ding et al.provided new insights into the mechanism of how trained innate immunity could eradicate cancer.The authors demonstrated that yeast-derived whole beta-glucan particles(WGP)increased the responsiveness of lung interstitial macrophages to tumor-derived factors associated with the subsequent inhibition of tumor metastasis through enhanced cytotoxicity to cancer cells.The authors identified the metabolic sphingolipid–mitochondrial fission axis in WGP-trained macrophages as the key pathway responsible for this phenomenon and categorized it as a mechanism of trained innate immunity[1].