Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages

Background Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R), a classic tyrosine kinase receptor, has been identified as a proto-oncogene in multiple cancers. The CSF1/CSF1R axis is essential for the survival and differentiation of M2-phenotype tumor-associated macrophages (M2 TAMs). However, we found he...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rui Ma, Ping Yuan, Xiaolin Wang, Yingjie Li, Meijin Huang, Huichuan Yu, Yanxin Luo, Mingxuan Zhu, Liangliang Bai, Xiaoxia Liu, Shaoyong Peng, Yumo Xie, Hong Bai, Jinxin Lin, Linping Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2022-12-01
Series:Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
Online Access:https://jitc.bmj.com/content/10/12/e005610.full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850163420044722176
author Rui Ma
Ping Yuan
Xiaolin Wang
Yingjie Li
Meijin Huang
Huichuan Yu
Yanxin Luo
Mingxuan Zhu
Liangliang Bai
Xiaoxia Liu
Shaoyong Peng
Yumo Xie
Hong Bai
Jinxin Lin
Linping Wu
author_facet Rui Ma
Ping Yuan
Xiaolin Wang
Yingjie Li
Meijin Huang
Huichuan Yu
Yanxin Luo
Mingxuan Zhu
Liangliang Bai
Xiaoxia Liu
Shaoyong Peng
Yumo Xie
Hong Bai
Jinxin Lin
Linping Wu
author_sort Rui Ma
collection DOAJ
description Background Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R), a classic tyrosine kinase receptor, has been identified as a proto-oncogene in multiple cancers. The CSF1/CSF1R axis is essential for the survival and differentiation of M2-phenotype tumor-associated macrophages (M2 TAMs). However, we found here that the CSF1R expression was abnormally down-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC), and its biological functions and underlying mechanisms have become elusive in CRC progression.Methods The expression of class III receptor tyrosine kinases in CRC and normal intestinal mucosa was accessed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets and was further validated by our tested cohort. CSF1R was reconstructed in CRC cells to identify its biological functions in vitro and in vivo. We compared CSF1R expression and methylation differences between CRC cells and macrophages. Furthermore, a co-culture system was used to mimic a competitive mechanism between CSF1R-overexpressed CRC cells and M2-like macrophages. We utilized a CSF1R inhibitor PLX3397 to ablate M2 TAMs and evaluated its efficacy on CRC treatment in animal models.Results We found here that the CSF1R is silenced in CRC, and the reintroduced expression of the receptor in CRC cells can be cleaved by caspases and constrain tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, functioning as a tumor suppressor gene. We further identified CSF1R as a novel dependence receptor, which has the potential to act as either a tumor suppressor gene or an oncogene, depending on its activated state. In CRC tumors, CSF1R expression is enriched in TAMs, and its expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients ith CRC. In a co-culture system, CRC cells expressing CSF1R compete with M2-like macrophages for CSF1R ligands, resulting in a decrease in CSF1R activation and cell proliferation in macrophages. Blocking CSF1R by PLX3397 could deplete M2 TAMs and augments CD8+ T cell infiltration, effectively inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis and improving responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.Conclusion Our findings revealed that CSF1R is a novel identified dependence receptor silenced in CRC. The silence abalienates its ligands to stimulate CSF1R expressed on M2 TAMs, which is an appealing therapeutic target for M2 TAM depletion and CRC treatment.
format Article
id doaj-art-4f55d7bbb7c54ab7b085143a3b1b7b8b
institution OA Journals
issn 2051-1426
language English
publishDate 2022-12-01
publisher BMJ Publishing Group
record_format Article
series Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
spelling doaj-art-4f55d7bbb7c54ab7b085143a3b1b7b8b2025-08-20T02:22:16ZengBMJ Publishing GroupJournal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer2051-14262022-12-01101210.1136/jitc-2022-005610Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophagesRui Ma0Ping Yuan1Xiaolin Wang2Yingjie Li3Meijin Huang4Huichuan Yu5Yanxin Luo6Mingxuan Zhu7Liangliang Bai8Xiaoxia Liu9Shaoyong Peng10Yumo Xie11Hong Bai12Jinxin Lin13Linping Wu14Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Colorectal and Pelvic Floor Disease, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaCardio-Pulmonary Circulation, Tongji University Affiliated Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital, Shanghai, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaKey Laboratory of Carcinogenesis and Translational Research (Ministry of Education/Beijing), Beijing, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaDepartment of Colorectal Surgery, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaSchool of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaGuangdong Institute of Gastroenterology, The Sixth Affiliated Hospital,Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaCenter for Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong, ChinaBackground Colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R), a classic tyrosine kinase receptor, has been identified as a proto-oncogene in multiple cancers. The CSF1/CSF1R axis is essential for the survival and differentiation of M2-phenotype tumor-associated macrophages (M2 TAMs). However, we found here that the CSF1R expression was abnormally down-regulated in colorectal cancer (CRC), and its biological functions and underlying mechanisms have become elusive in CRC progression.Methods The expression of class III receptor tyrosine kinases in CRC and normal intestinal mucosa was accessed using The Cancer Genome Atlas and Gene Expression Omnibus datasets and was further validated by our tested cohort. CSF1R was reconstructed in CRC cells to identify its biological functions in vitro and in vivo. We compared CSF1R expression and methylation differences between CRC cells and macrophages. Furthermore, a co-culture system was used to mimic a competitive mechanism between CSF1R-overexpressed CRC cells and M2-like macrophages. We utilized a CSF1R inhibitor PLX3397 to ablate M2 TAMs and evaluated its efficacy on CRC treatment in animal models.Results We found here that the CSF1R is silenced in CRC, and the reintroduced expression of the receptor in CRC cells can be cleaved by caspases and constrain tumor growth in vitro and in vivo, functioning as a tumor suppressor gene. We further identified CSF1R as a novel dependence receptor, which has the potential to act as either a tumor suppressor gene or an oncogene, depending on its activated state. In CRC tumors, CSF1R expression is enriched in TAMs, and its expression is associated with poor prognosis in patients ith CRC. In a co-culture system, CRC cells expressing CSF1R compete with M2-like macrophages for CSF1R ligands, resulting in a decrease in CSF1R activation and cell proliferation in macrophages. Blocking CSF1R by PLX3397 could deplete M2 TAMs and augments CD8+ T cell infiltration, effectively inhibiting tumor growth and metastasis and improving responses to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.Conclusion Our findings revealed that CSF1R is a novel identified dependence receptor silenced in CRC. The silence abalienates its ligands to stimulate CSF1R expressed on M2 TAMs, which is an appealing therapeutic target for M2 TAM depletion and CRC treatment.https://jitc.bmj.com/content/10/12/e005610.full
spellingShingle Rui Ma
Ping Yuan
Xiaolin Wang
Yingjie Li
Meijin Huang
Huichuan Yu
Yanxin Luo
Mingxuan Zhu
Liangliang Bai
Xiaoxia Liu
Shaoyong Peng
Yumo Xie
Hong Bai
Jinxin Lin
Linping Wu
Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer
title Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
title_full Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
title_fullStr Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
title_full_unstemmed Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
title_short Silence of a dependence receptor CSF1R in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor-associated macrophages
title_sort silence of a dependence receptor csf1r in colorectal cancer cells activates tumor associated macrophages
url https://jitc.bmj.com/content/10/12/e005610.full
work_keys_str_mv AT ruima silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT pingyuan silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT xiaolinwang silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT yingjieli silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT meijinhuang silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT huichuanyu silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT yanxinluo silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT mingxuanzhu silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT liangliangbai silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT xiaoxialiu silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT shaoyongpeng silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT yumoxie silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT hongbai silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT jinxinlin silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages
AT linpingwu silenceofadependencereceptorcsf1rincolorectalcancercellsactivatestumorassociatedmacrophages