title: Anticancer immunochemotherapy using adjuvants with direct cytotoxic effects.
abstract: Conventional chemotherapeutics may induce immunogenic cancer cell death or stimulate immune effectors via so-called off-target effects. The study by Besch et al. in this issue of the JCI now demonstrates that agents designed to stimulate the innate immune system by activating intracellular pattern recognition receptors can kill cancer cells in a direct, cell-autonomous fashion (see the related article beginning on page 2399). The authors show that ligation of viral RNA sensors, such as RIG-I or MDA-5, by viral RNA mimetics triggers mitochondrial apoptosis in human melanoma cells in an IFN-independent fashion. The data suggest that tumor cell killing and immunostimulation may synergize for optimal anticancer immunochemotherapy.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U805, Villejuif, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zitvogel
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kroemer
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D000071457:DEAD Box Protein 58; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000187:drug effects; D000072640:Interferon-Induced Helicase, IFIH1; D008024:Ligands; D008545:Melanoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D015398:Signal Transduction; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D008024:Ligands; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D051193:Toll-Like Receptors; C452820:RIGI protein, human; C452815:IFIH1 protein, human; D000071457:DEAD Box Protein 58; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000072640:Interferon-Induced Helicase, IFIH1