RESUMO
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) are important in tumor microenvironment (TME) driven cancer progression. However, CAFs are heterogeneous and still largely underdefined, better understanding their origins will identify new therapeutic strategies for cancer. Here, the authors discovered a new role of macrophage-myofibroblast transition (MMT) in cancer for de novo generating protumoral CAFs by resolving the transcriptome dynamics of tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) with single-cell resolution. MMT cells (MMTs) are observed in non-small-cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) associated with CAF abundance and patient mortality. By fate-mapping study, RNA velocity, and pseudotime analysis, existence of novel macrophage-lineage-derived CAF subset in the TME of Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) model is confirmed, which is directly transited via MMT from M2-TAM in vivo and bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDM) in vitro. Adoptive transfer of BMDM-derived MMTs markedly promote CAF formation in LLC-bearing mice. Mechanistically, a Smad3-centric regulatory network is upregulated in the MMTs of NSCLC, where chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing(ChIP-seq) detects a significant enrichment of Smad3 binding on fibroblast differentiation genes in the macrophage-lineage cells in LLC-tumor. More importantly, macrophage-specific deletion and pharmaceutical inhibition of Smad3 effectively block MMT, therefore, suppressing the CAF formation and cancer progression in vivo. Thus, MMT may represent a novel therapeutic target of CAF for cancer immunotherapy.
Assuntos
Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/metabolismo , Fibroblastos Associados a Câncer/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Macrófagos/metabolismo , Miofibroblastos/metabolismo , Proteína Smad3/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/genética , Adenocarcinoma de Pulmão/patologia , Animais , Fibroblastos Associados a Câncer/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/genética , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patologia , Macrófagos/patologia , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Endogâmicos NOD , Camundongos Nus , Camundongos SCID , Miofibroblastos/patologia , Transdução de Sinais/genética , Proteína Smad3/genética , Microambiente Tumoral/genéticaRESUMO
The molecular investigation of lung cancer has opened up an advanced area for the diagnosis and therapeutic management of lung cancer patients. Gene alterations in cancer initiation and progression provide not only information on molecular changes in lung cancer but also opportunities in advanced therapeutic regime by personalized targeted therapy. EGFR mutations and ALK rearrangement are important predictive biomarkers for the efficiency of tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment in lung cancer patients. Moreover, epigenetic aberration and microRNA dysregulation are recent advances in the early detection and monitoring of lung cancer. Although a wide range of molecular tests are available, standardization and validation of assay protocols are essential for the quality of the test outcome. In this review, current and new advancements of molecular biomarkers for non-small-cell lung cancer will be discussed. Recommendations on future development of molecular diagnostic services will also be explored.