2. Academic Validation
  3. IFNα-induced BST2+ tumor-associated macrophages facilitate immunosuppression and tumor growth in pancreatic cancer by ERK-CXCL7 signaling

IFNα-induced BST2+ tumor-associated macrophages facilitate immunosuppression and tumor growth in pancreatic cancer by ERK-CXCL7 signaling

  • Cell Rep. 2024 Apr 23;43(4):114088. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114088.
Chenlei Zheng 1,  Junli Wang 1,  Yu Zhou 2,  Yi Duan 1,  Rujia Zheng 2,  Yuting Xie 1,  Xiaobao Wei 1,  Jiangchao Wu 1,  Hang Shen 1,  Mao Ye 1,  Bo Kong 3,  Yunhua Liu 4,  Pinglong Xu 5,  Qi Zhang 6,  Tingbo Liang 7
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
  • 2 Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China.
  • 3 Department of General, Visceral and Transplantation Surgery, Section of Surgical Research, Heidelberg University Hospital, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
  • 4 Department of Pathology & Pathophysiology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China.
  • 5 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; The MOE Key Laboratory of Biosystems Homeostasis & Protection and Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Cancer Molecular Cell Biology, Life Sciences Institute, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
  • 6 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou 310003, China; The Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310003, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China. Electronic address: qi.zhang@zju.edu.cn.
  • 7 Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Pancreatic Disease, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang Clinical Research Center of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Diseases, Hangzhou 310003, China; The Innovation Center for the Study of Pancreatic Diseases of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou 310003, China; Zhejiang University Cancer Center, Hangzhou 310003, China; MOE Joint International Research Laboratory of Pancreatic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310003, China. Electronic address: liangtingbo@zju.edu.cn.
PMID: 38602878 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2024.114088
Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) features an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that resists immunotherapy. Tumor-associated macrophages, abundant in the TME, modulate T cell responses. Bone marrow stromal antigen 2-positive (BST2+) macrophages increase in KrasG12D/+; Trp53R172H/+; Pdx1-Cre mouse models during PDAC progression. However, their role in PDAC remains elusive. Our findings reveal a negative correlation between BST2+ macrophage levels and PDAC patient prognosis. Moreover, an increased ratio of exhausted CD8+ T cells is observed in tumors with up-regulated BST2+ macrophages. Mechanistically, BST2+ macrophages secrete CXCL7 through the ERK pathway and bind with CXCR2 to activate the Akt/mTOR pathway, promoting CD8+ T cell exhaustion. The combined blockade of CXCL7 and programmed death-ligand 1 successfully decelerates tumor growth. Additionally, cGAS-STING pathway activation in macrophages induces interferon (IFN)α synthesis leading to BST2 overexpression in the PDAC TME. This study provides insights into IFNα-induced BST2+ macrophages driving an immune-suppressive TME through ERK-CXCL7 signaling to regulate CD8+ T cell exhaustion in PDAC.

Keywords

CP: Cancer; CP: Immunology; CXCL7; bone marrow stromal antigen 2; cGAS-STING; pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; tumor-associated macrophage.

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