Ter‐cell, A New Target for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Therapy

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), a malignancy of the liver, has become the second most lethal cause of cancer death globally. Recently, scientists discovered that a splenic erythroblast-like cell induced by the primary tumor, termed Ter-cell, promoted HCC progression and metastasis. These findings shed light on the inhibition of Ter-cell or artemin that can serve as a new therapeutic target for HCC.

Human splenic TER cells: A relevant prognostic factor acting via the artemin‐GFRα3‐ERK pathway in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma

“…Thus, the unique microenvironment for splenic haematopoiesis partly explained the specific distribution of TER cells in the spleen. The TER cell is an erythroblast‐like cell derived from megakaryocyte‐erythroid progenitors (MEPs), 14 a type of HSCs, so the splenic microenvironment might also prove to be critical for TER cells differentiation in addition to induction via the tumour.…”

“…13 Thus, the unique microenvironment for splenic haematopoiesis partly explained the specific distribution of TER cells in the spleen. The TER cell is an erythroblast-like cell derived from megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitors (MEPs), 14 a type of HSCs, so the splenic microenvironment might also prove to be critical for TER cells differentiation in addition to induction via the tumour. (b) Physiological granulocytes are destroyed in the spleen in vitro in a random process, but not in a time-dependent process 17 ; and (c) The granulocytes collected from the splenic vein undergo apoptosis faster than those collected from the arterial blood during in vitro incubation.…”