Macrophages Instruct Aberrant Glycosylation in Colon Cancer by Chemokine and Cytokine Signals

Abstract Myeloid cells can alter diverse molecular and metabolic pathways in cancer cells, contributing to their survival, migration, and resistance to chemotherapy and immune attack. The results by Kvorjak and colleagues unveil a novel circuit whereby altered glycosylation in epithelial cells promotes the pathogenesis of ulcerative colitis and colitis-associated colon cancer, via the production of IL13 and CCL17 by M2-polarized macrophages. See article by Kvorjak et al., p. 167