Harnessing innate immune pathways for therapeutic advancement in cancer

The innate immune pathway is receiving increasing attention in cancer therapy.This pathway is ubiquitous across various cell types,not only in innate immune cells but also in adaptive immune cells,tumor cells,and stromal cells.Agonists targeting the innate immune pathway have shown profound changes in the tumor microenvironment(TME)and improved tumor prognosis in preclinical studies.However,to date,the clinical success of drugs targeting the innate immune pathway remains limited.Interestingly,recent studies have shown that activation of the innate immune pathway can paradoxically promote tumor progression.The uncertainty surrounding the therapeutic effectiveness of targeted drugs for the innate immune pathway is a critical issue that needs immediate investigation.In this review,we observe that the role of the innate immune pathway demonstrates heterogeneity,linked to the tumor development stage,pathway status,and specific cell types.We propose that within the TME,the innate immune pathway exhibits multidimensional diversity.This diversity is fundamentally rooted in cellular heterogeneity and is manifested as a variety of signaling networks.The pro-tumor effect of innate immune pathway activation essentially reflects the suppression of classical pathways and the activation of potential pro-tumor alternative pathways.Refining our understanding of the tumor's innate immune pathway network and employing appropriate targeting strategies can enhance our ability to harness the anti-tumor potential of the innate immune pathway and ultimately bridge the gap from preclinical to clinicalapplication.

Projection-Specific Heterogeneity of the Axon Initial Segment of Pyramidal Neurons in the Prelimbic Cortex

The axon initial segment(AIS)is a highly specialized axonal compartment where the action potential is initiated.The heterogeneity of AISs has been suggested to occur between interneurons and pyramidal neurons(PyNs),which likely contributes to their unique spiking properties.However,whether the various characteristics of AISs can be linked to specific PyN subtypes remains unknown.Here,we report that in the prelimbic cortex(PL)of the mouse,two types of PyNs with axon projections either to the contralateral PL or to the ipsilateral basal lateral amygdala,possess distinct AIS properties reflected by morphology,ion channel expression,action potential initiation,and axo-axonic synaptic inputs from chandelier cells.Furthermore,projection-specific AIS diversity is more prominent in the superficial layer than in the deep layer.Thus,our study reveals the cortical layer-and axon projection-specific heterogeneity of PyN AISs,which may endow the spiking of various PyN types with exquisite modulation.