Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40251197›Full record

ArticleNature communications2025

Epithelial cell competition is promoted by signaling from immune cells.

Yilun Zhu, Zeba Wunderlich, Arthur D Lander

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature communications, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Draper-mediated efferocytosis bybioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Yilun ZhuDepartment of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0007-9075-3717
Zeba WunderlichDepartment of Biology, Boston University, Boston, MA, 02215, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4491-5715
Arthur D LanderDepartment of Developmental and Cell Biology, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, 92697, USA. adlander@uci.edu.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4380-5525

Funding

Univ.of Calif., Irvine Cancer Center Support GrantP30CA062203 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Christine Hui · 1994 to 2026
$57.9M
Uncover Strategies Used By Biological SystemsP50GM076516 · NIGMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI LANDER, ARTHUR D · 2007 to 2016
$25.1M
Shared Resource Core: Single Cell AnalysisU54CA217378 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI LOWENGRUB, JOHN · 2018 to 2022
$9.7M
Understanding critical transitions in chronic myeloid leukemia to improve tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapyP01CA288662 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Arthur D Lander, Devon A. Lawson · 2025 to 2026
$6.4M
UCI P30 Skin Center Systems Biology CoreP30AR075047 · NIAMS · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI LANDER, ARTHUR D · 2019 to 2025
$5.1M
Mechanisms of shadow enhancer robustness during developmentR01HD095246 · NICHD · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-IRVINE · PI Zeba B Wunderlich · 2018 to 2026
$2.7M
NCI NIH HHS P01 CA288662NCI NIH HHS P30 CA062203NCI NIH HHS U54 CA217378NIAMS NIH HHS P30 AR075047NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD095246NIGMS NIH HHS P50 GM076516U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) P50-GM076516U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01-HD095246U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | National Institutes of Health (NIH) U54-CA217378U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | NIH | National Cancer Institute (NCI) P30-CA062203
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

In epithelial tissues, juxtaposition of cells of different phenotypes can trigger cell competition, a process whereby one type of cell drives death and extrusion of another. During growth and homeostasis, cell competition is thought to serve a quality control function, eliminating cells that are "less fit". Tissues may also attack and eliminate newly arising tumor cells, exploiting mechanisms shared with other instances of cell competition, but that differ, reportedly, in the involvement of the immune system. Whereas immune cells have been shown to play a direct role in killing tumor cells, this has not been observed in other cases of cell competition, suggesting that tissues recognize and handle cancer cells differently. Here, we challenge this view, showing that, in the fruit fly Drosophila, innate immune cells play similar roles in cell killing during classical cell competition as in eliminating tumors. These findings suggest that immune suppression of cancer may exploit the same mechanisms as are involved in promoting phenotypic uniformity among epithelial cells.

Indexed as

Cell CompetitionDrosophila melanogasterEpithelial CellsSignal TransductionAnimalsDrosophila ProteinsImmunity, InnateNeoplasmsDrosophila Proteins

Identifiers

PMID40251197
PMCPMC12008283

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.