RESUMEN
Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a heterogeneous population of cells whose phenotypes and functions are shaped by factors that are incompletely understood. Herein, we asked when and where TAMs arise from blood monocytes and how they evolve during tumor development. We initiated pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in inducible monocyte fate-mapping mice and combined single-cell transcriptomics and high-dimensional flow cytometry to profile the monocyte-to-TAM transition. We revealed that monocytes differentiate first into a transient intermediate population of TAMs that generates two longer-lived lineages of terminally differentiated TAMs with distinct gene expression profiles, phenotypes, and intratumoral localization. Transcriptome datasets and tumor samples from patients with PDAC evidenced parallel TAM populations in humans and their prognostic associations. These insights will support the design of new therapeutic strategies targeting TAMs in PDAC.
Asunto(s)
Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático , Monocitos , Neoplasias Pancreáticas , Macrófagos Asociados a Tumores , Animales , Monocitos/inmunología , Humanos , Ratones , Macrófagos Asociados a Tumores/inmunología , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/inmunología , Carcinoma Ductal Pancreático/patología , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/inmunología , Neoplasias Pancreáticas/patología , Diferenciación Celular/inmunología , Ratones Endogámicos C57BL , Ratones TransgénicosRESUMEN
Immune cells experience large cell shape changes during environmental patrolling because of the physical constraints that they encounter while migrating through tissues. These cells can adapt to such deformation events using dedicated shape-sensing pathways. However, how shape sensing affects immune cell function is mostly unknown. Here, we identify a shape-sensing mechanism that increases the expression of the chemokine receptor CCR7 and guides dendritic cell migration from peripheral tissues to lymph nodes at steady state. This mechanism relies on the lipid metabolism enzyme cPLA2, requires nuclear envelope tensioning and is finely tuned by the ARP2/3 actin nucleation complex. We also show that this shape-sensing axis reprograms dendritic cell transcription by activating an IKKß-NF-κB-dependent pathway known to control their tolerogenic potential. These results indicate that cell shape changes experienced by immune cells can define their migratory behavior and immunoregulatory properties and reveal a contribution of the physical properties of tissues to adaptive immunity.