2. Academic Validation
  3. Pericytes recruited by CCL28 promote vascular normalization after anti-angiogenesis therapy through RA/RXRA/ANGPT1 pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

Pericytes recruited by CCL28 promote vascular normalization after anti-angiogenesis therapy through RA/RXRA/ANGPT1 pathway in lung adenocarcinoma

  • J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2024 Jul 29;43(1):210. doi: 10.1186/s13046-024-03135-3.
Ying Chen 1 2 3,  Zhiyong Zhang 1 2 3,  Fan Pan 3 4,  Pengfei Li 1 2 3,  Weiping Yao 3 4,  Yuxi Chen 1 2 3,  Lei Xiong 5,  Tingting Wang 6 7 8,  Yan Li 9,  Guichun Huang 10 11
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Division of Immunology, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
  • 2 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Immunology, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China.
  • 3 Medical Schoolof, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China.
  • 4 Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China.
  • 5 Department of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China.
  • 6 The State Key Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Chemistry and Biomedicine Innovation Center (ChemBIC), Division of Immunology, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China. wangtt@nju.edu.cn.
  • 7 Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Division of Immunology, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China. wangtt@nju.edu.cn.
  • 8 Medical Schoolof, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210093, China. wangtt@nju.edu.cn.
  • 9 Department of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China. yanli_med@nju.edu.cn.
  • 10 Department of Medical Oncology, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Jinling Hospital, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 210008, China. huangguichun@nju.edu.cn.
  • 11 Department of Oncology, Medical School, Zhongda Hospital, Southeast University, Nanjing, 210009, China. huangguichun@nju.edu.cn.
PMID: 39075504 DOI: 10.1186/s13046-024-03135-3
Abstract

Background: It has been proposed that anti-angiogenesis therapy could induce tumor "vascular normalization" and further enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, target therapy, and immunotherapy for nearly twenty years. However, the detailed molecular mechanism of this phenomenon is still obscure.

Method: Overexpression and knockout of CCL28 in human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549 and murine lung adenocarcinoma cell line LLC, respectively, were utilized to establish mouse models. Single-cell Sequencing was performed to analyze the proportion of different cell clusters and metabolic changes in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Immunofluorescence and multiplex immunohistochemistry were conducted in murine tumor tissues and clinical biopsy samples to assess the percentage of pericytes coverage. Primary pericytes were isolated from lung adenocarcinoma tumor tissues using magnetic-activated cell sorting (MACS). These pericytes were then treated with recombinant human CCL28 protein, followed by transwell migration assays and RNA Sequencing analysis. Changes in the secretome and metabolome were examined, and verification of retinoic acid metabolism alterations in pericytes was conducted using quantitative Real-Time PCR, western blotting, and LC-MS technology. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by quantitative PCR (ChIP-qPCR) was employed to validate the transcriptional regulatory ability and affinity of RXRα to specific sites at the ANGPT1 promoter.

Results: Our study showed that after undergoing anti-angiogenesis treatment, the tumor exhibited a state of ischemia and hypoxia, leading to an upregulation in the expression of CCL28 in hypoxic lung adenocarcinoma cells by the hypoxia-sensitive transcription factor CEBPB. Increased CCL28 could promote tumor vascular normalization through recruiting and metabolic reprogramming pericytes in the tumor microenvironment. Mechanistically, CCL28 modified the retinoic acid (RA) metabolism and increased ANGPT1 expression via RXRα in pericytes, thereby enhancing the stability of endothelial cells.

Conclusion: We reported the details of the molecular mechanisms of "vascular normalization" after anti-angiogenesis therapy for the first time. Our work might provide a prospective molecular marker for guiding the clinical arrangement of combination therapy between anti-angiogenesis treatment and other therapies.

Keywords

Anti-angiogenesis therapy; CCL28; Lung adenocarcinoma; Pericytes; Retinoic acid; Vascular normalization.

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