Nature Communications · 8 July 2026 · From issue 03
Losing one gene lets lung cancer tumors resist chemotherapy, but blocking sugar uptake reverses this.
Scott Best, Daniel S. Hippe et al., Loss of the USP22 deubiquitylase confers resistance to chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer, Nature Communications.
Small cell lung cancer often shrinks fast with chemotherapy. But it usually comes back in a harder to treat form. Scientists searched genes in tumor samples grown in mice to find out why. They found that losing one gene, called USP22, helps tumors resist chemotherapy. Tumors without this gene also relied more on burning sugar for energy. Blocking a sugar carrier made those resistant tumors sensitive to chemotherapy again.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 8 July 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Communications). Read the source
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