IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-Defining the Stress-Gut Microbiome Interplay in Anti-Tumor B Cell Response

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Researchers investigated how chronic stress affects anti-tumor immunity in mouse models and colorectal cancer patients. Using a 21-day unpredictable chronic stress model, they confirmed elevated corticosterone and stress behaviors, then found that stress increased tumor growth across several cancer models. The main immune change was a consistent drop in germinal center B cells and anti-tumor IgG, both in mice and human tumors, with local tumor corticosterone negatively correlated with these cells. B-cell depletion worsened tumors, and removing the corticosterone receptor NR3C1 specifically from B cells prevented stress-induced suppression. The study then linked this effect to gut microbiota: germ-free mice lost the stress effect, and the gut pathobiont Enterococcus gallinarum expanded in tumors. E. gallinarum or its DNA promoted local corticosterone production through TLR9 signaling in fibroblasts, helping the bacteria translocate from gut to tumor. Blocking TLR9 or intratumoral antibiotics reduced corticosterone and restored germinal center responses.

Meta Tag

Date April 19, 2026 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

Room 156

Session Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment III

Speaker Hilal Bashir

Track Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

Year 2026

Keywords

chronic stress

anti-tumor immunity

germinal center B cells

corticosterone

Enterococcus gallinarum

April 19, 2026 9:45 AM - 10:00 AM

156

Immune Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment III

Hilal Bashir

Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

2026