Fructose sweetens the adipocyte-T cell alliance against tumors

Dietary fructose is implicated in tumorigenesis, but whether dietary fructose regulates antitumor immunity remains elusive. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Zhang et al. show that dietary fructose promotes adipocyte-derived leptin production, which attenuates terminal exhaustion programming and boosts the effector function of CD8+ T cells for improved tumor control. Dietary fructose is implicated in tumorigenesis, but whether dietary fructose regulates antitumor immunity remains elusive. In this issue of Cell Metabolism, Zhang et al. show that dietary fructose promotes adipocyte-derived leptin production, which attenuates terminal exhaustion programming and boosts the effector function of CD8+ T cells for improved tumor control. Dietary fructose-mediated adipocyte metabolism drives antitumor CD8+ T cell responsesZhang et al.Cell MetabolismOctober 19, 2023In BriefThe impact of dietary fructose on antitumor immunity remains unclear. Zhang et al. reveal that dietary fructose initiates leptin production in adipocytes in an mTORC1-dependent manner and mediates leptin-boosted antitumor functions of CD8+ T cells, suggesting that the fructose-leptin axis may be harnessed for immunotherapy against certain cancers. Full-Text PDF