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Tang PCT, Chung JYF, Liao J, Chan MKK, Chan ASW, Cheng G, Li C, Huang XR, Ng CSH, Lam EWF, Zhang D, Ho YP, To KF, Leung KT, Jiang X, Ko H, Lee TL, Lan HY, Tang PMK. Single-cell RNA sequencing uncovers a neuron-like macrophage subset associated with cancer pain. Sci Adv 2022; 8:eabn5535. [PMID: 36206343 PMCID: PMC9544324 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abn5535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Tumor innervation is a common phenomenon with unknown mechanism. Here, we discovered a direct mechanism of tumor-associated macrophage (TAM) for promoting de novo neurogenesis via a subset showing neuronal phenotypes and pain receptor expression associated with cancer-driven nocifensive behaviors. This subset is rich in lung adenocarcinoma associated with poorer prognosis. By elucidating the transcriptome dynamics of TAM with single-cell resolution, we discovered a phenomenon "macrophage to neuron-like cell transition" (MNT) for directly promoting tumoral neurogenesis, evidenced by macrophage depletion and fate-mapping study in lung carcinoma models. Encouragingly, we detected neuronal phenotypes and activities of the bone marrow-derived MNT cells (MNTs) in vitro. Adoptive transfer of MNTs into NOD/SCID mice markedly enhanced their cancer-associated nocifensive behaviors. We identified macrophage-specific Smad3 as a pivotal regulator for promoting MNT at the genomic level; its disruption effectively blocked the tumor innervation and cancer-dependent nocifensive behaviors in vivo. Thus, MNT may represent a precision therapeutic target for cancer pain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philip Chiu-Tsun Tang
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Jeff Yat-Fai Chung
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Jinyue Liao
- Department of Chemical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Max Kam-Kwan Chan
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Alex Siu-Wing Chan
- Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Guangyao Cheng
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Chunjie Li
- Department of Head and Neck Oncology, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xiao-Ru Huang
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Calvin Sze-Hang Ng
- Department of Surgery, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Eric W-F Lam
- State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Cancer Center, Sun Yat-sen University, 651 Dongfeng East Road, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province 510060, China
| | - Dongmei Zhang
- College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yi-Ping Ho
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Ka-Fai To
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Kam-Tong Leung
- Department of Paediatrics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Xiaohua Jiang
- Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of the Ministry of Education of China, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Ho Ko
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Tin-Lap Lee
- Reproduction, Development and Endocrinology Program, School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Hui-Yao Lan
- Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Li Ka Shing Institute of Health Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
- Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory on Immunological and Genetic Kidney Diseases, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, 999077 Hong Kong SAR
| | - Patrick Ming-Kuen Tang
- Department of Anatomical and Cellular Pathology, State Key Laboratory of Translational Oncology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR
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