Branching out takes anti-tumor immunity down a NOTCH
Christian Frezza
Nature Immunology, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41590-026-02528-0 Cancer cells utilize many strategies to suppress immune responses. Data now show that these measures include the secretion of branched-chain keto acids into the tumor microenvironment. These metabolites can be taken up by tumor-associated macrophages, in which they can shield NOTCH2 from degradation and thereby favor an immunosuppressive gene expression program.