A Tale from the Crypts: Deciphering Immune Responses to Aneuploidy

The presence of chromosome gains or losses in a cell, known as aneuploidy, is a frequent feature of human cancers. Despite this prevalence, little is known about how the immune system interacts with aneuploid cells within complex living systems.  Jacks Lab researchers use a mouse model with high levels of aneuploidy in the small intestine (seen here) to investigate how the cells of the immune system respond to chromosomal imbalances. 

Stem cells in the intestinal crypt marked fluorescently (magenta) give rise to aneuploid daughter cells in the adjacent villi (green).  The team is working to identify whether immune cells, such as helper (white) and cytotoxic (red) T cells, behave differently in tissues with and without aneuploidy.  Characterizing these responses may be critical for improving immunotherapies in patients with aneuploid cancers.