A local sympathetic-immune axis inhibits melanoma growth in mice by dictating adrenergic control

Yet contexts where the nervous system inhibits tumor growth are less defined. Here, we performed optical reconstruction of axonal innervation in mouse models of cutaneous melanoma, revealing progressive innervation by sympathetic axons.

Local depletion of these axons accelerates while local optogenetic activation slows melanoma growth, together consistent with these axons acting as a physiological growth brake. The sympathetic nervous system is typically associated with driving tumor growth through activation of β adrenergic receptors (ARs). Here we find that the initial tumor seeding conditions sensitizes melanomas from β AR driven growth promotion towards a2 AR driven growth inhibition.