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Ji S, Shi Y, Yin B. Macrophage barrier in the tumor microenvironment and potential clinical applications. Cell Commun Signal 2024; 22:74. [PMID: 38279145 PMCID: PMC10811890 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-023-01424-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The tumor microenvironment (TME) constitutes a complex microenvironment comprising a diverse array of immune cells and stromal components. Within this intricate context, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) exhibit notable spatial heterogeneity. This heterogeneity contributes to various facets of tumor behavior, including immune response modulation, angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, and metastatic potential. This review summarizes the spatial distribution of macrophages in both the physiological environment and the TME. Moreover, this paper explores the intricate interactions between TAMs and diverse immune cell populations (T cells, dendritic cells, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and other immune cells) within the TME. These bidirectional exchanges form a complex network of immune interactions that influence tumor immune surveillance and evasion strategies. Investigating TAM heterogeneity and its intricate interactions with different immune cell populations offers potential avenues for therapeutic interventions. Additionally, this paper discusses therapeutic strategies targeting macrophages, aiming to uncover novel approaches for immunotherapy. Video Abstract.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuai Ji
- Department of Urinary Surgery, The Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, China
| | - Yuqing Shi
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Shenyang 10th People's Hospital, Shenyang, 110096, China
| | - Bo Yin
- Department of Urinary Surgery, The Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110022, China.
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Wu L, Xia W, Hua Y, Fan K, Lu Y, Wang M, Jin Y, Zhang W, Pan S. Cellular crosstalk of macrophages and therapeutic implications in non-small cell lung cancer revealed by integrative inference of single-cell transcriptomics. Front Pharmacol 2023; 14:1295442. [PMID: 38044943 PMCID: PMC10690610 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1295442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) exhibits heterogeneity with diverse immune cell infiltration patterns that can influence tumor cell behavior and immunotherapy. A comprehensive characterization of the tumor microenvironment can guide precision medicine. Methods: Here, we generated a single-cell atlas of 398170 cells from 52 NSCLC patients, and investigated the imprinted genes and cellular crosstalk for macrophages. Subsequently, we evaluated the effect of tumor cells on macrophages and verified the expression of marker genes using co-culture experiments, flow cytometry and RT-qPCR assays. Results: Remarkable macrophage adaptability to NSCLC environment was observed, which contributed to generating tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). We identified 5 distinct functional TAM subtypes, of which the majority were SELENOP-positive macrophages, with high levels of SLC40A1 and CCL13. The TAMs were also involved in mediating CD8+ T cell activity and form intercellular interaction with cancer cells, as indicated by receptor-ligand binding. Indirect coculture of tumor cells SPC-A1 and THP-1 monocytes, produced M2-like TAMs that highly expressed several markers of SELENOP-positive macrophages. The abundance of this type TAMs seemed to be associated with poorer overall survival rates [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.98-1.83, p = 0.068] based on deconvolution of TCGA-LUAD dataset. Discussion: In summary, we provided a high-resolution molecular resource of TAMs, and displayed the acquired properties in the tumor microenvironment. Dynamic crosstalk between TAMs and tumor cells via multiple ligand-receptor pairs were revealed, emphasizing its role in sustaining the pro-tumoral microenvironment and its implications for cancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Wu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Wenying Xia
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yiting Hua
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Kun Fan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yanfei Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Min Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Yuexinzi Jin
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
| | - Shiyang Pan
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, China
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Laboratory Medicine, Nanjing, China
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Schneider F, Kaczorowski A, Jurcic C, Kirchner M, Schwab C, Schütz V, Görtz M, Zschäbitz S, Jäger D, Stenzinger A, Hohenfellner M, Duensing S, Duensing A. Digital Spatial Profiling Identifies the Tumor Periphery as a Highly Active Biological Niche in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:5050. [PMID: 37894418 PMCID: PMC10605891 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15205050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 10/03/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is characterized by a high degree of intratumoral heterogeneity (ITH). Besides genomic ITH, there is considerable functional ITH, which encompasses spatial niches with distinct proliferative and signaling activities. The full extent of functional spatial heterogeneity in ccRCC is incompletely understood. In the present study, a total of 17 ccRCC tissue specimens from different sites (primary tumor, n = 11; local recurrence, n = 1; distant metastasis, n = 5) were analyzed using digital spatial profiling (DSP) of protein expression. A total of 128 regions of interest from the tumor periphery and tumor center were analyzed for the expression of 46 proteins, comprising three major signaling pathways as well as immune cell markers. Results were correlated to clinico-pathological variables. The differential expression of granzyme B was validated using conventional immunohistochemistry and was correlated to the cancer-specific patient survival. We found that a total of 37 proteins were differentially expressed between the tumor periphery and tumor center. Thirty-five of the proteins were upregulated in the tumor periphery compared to the center. These included proteins involved in cell proliferation, MAPK and PI3K/AKT signaling, apoptosis regulation, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, as well as immune cell markers. Among the most significantly upregulated proteins in the tumor periphery was granzyme B. Granzyme B upregulation in the tumor periphery correlated with a significantly reduced cancer-specific patient survival. In conclusion, this study highlights the unique cellular contexture of the tumor periphery in ccRCC. The correlation between granzyme B upregulation in the tumor periphery and patient survival suggests local selection pressure for aggressive tumor growth and disease progression. Our results underscore the potential of spatial biology for biomarker discovery in ccRCC and cancer in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Schneider
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Adam Kaczorowski
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christina Jurcic
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Martina Kirchner
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Constantin Schwab
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Viktoria Schütz
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Magdalena Görtz
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Zschäbitz
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Dirk Jäger
- Department of Medical Oncology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 460, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Albrecht Stenzinger
- Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 224, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Markus Hohenfellner
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefan Duensing
- Molecular Urooncology, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Anette Duensing
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, and National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Im Neuenheimer Feld 420, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
- Cancer Therapeutics Program, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, 5117 Centre Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, 200 Lothrop Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
- Precision Oncology of Urological Malignancies, Department of Urology, University Hospital Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 517, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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