FABP4-tastic Pancreatic Stellate Cells Coddle KITL to Uphold Inherent Microenvironmental Tumor Suppression.

Abstract

Oñate and colleagues demonstrate that KITL expression in pancreatic stellate cells is crucial for maintaining the inherent tumor-suppressive function of the pancreatic microenvironment, and its loss enables pancreatic cancer development. This pivotal discovery not only reinforces the century-old hypothesis of natural microenvironmental tumor suppression but also highlights a promising therapeutic avenue whereby restoring KITL expression could reestablish the tumor-suppressive functions of pancreas-resident fibroblastic cells. See related article by Oñate et al., p. XX.