Investigators at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL; Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne) have identified a broad role for the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) in suppressing antitumor immunity, they reported in the Nov. 18, 2022, issue of Science. The results could lead to new ways to boost antitumor immunity. Scientifically, they also provide new insights into the link between tumors and the nervous system.

Mutations in FMR1, the gene that codes for FMRP, cause fragile X syndrome, a neurodevelopmental syndrome that is characterized by mental retardation and autism-like symptoms.Previous work in the laboratory of Douglas Hanahan, who is the senior author of the Science paper, as well as by other teams had shown that FMRP levels were increased in several tumor types, and increased the chances that those tumors would metastasize.