Department of Genitourinary Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center UTHealth Houston Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA.
Nat Commun. 2024 Jul 10;15(1):5291. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-49189-x.
Resistance to immune checkpoint therapy (ICT) presents a growing clinical challenge. The tumor microenvironment (TME) and its components, namely tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), play a pivotal role in ICT resistance; however, the underlying mechanisms remain under investigation. In this study, we identify expression of TNF-Stimulated Factor 6 (TSG-6) in ICT-resistant pancreatic tumors, compared to ICT-sensitive melanoma tumors, both in mouse and human. TSG-6 is expressed by CAFs within the TME, where suppressive macrophages expressing Arg1, Mafb, and Mrc1, along with TSG-6 ligand Cd44, predominate. Furthermore, TSG-6 expressing CAFs co-localize with the CD44 expressing macrophages in the TME. TSG-6 inhibition in combination with ICT improves therapy response and survival in pancreatic tumor-bearing mice by reducing macrophages expressing immunosuppressive phenotypes and increasing CD8 T cells. Overall, our findings propose TSG-6 as a therapeutic target to enhance ICT response in non-responsive tumors.
免疫检查点治疗(ICT)耐药性是一个日益严峻的临床挑战。肿瘤微环境(TME)及其组成部分,即肿瘤相关巨噬细胞(TAMs)和癌症相关成纤维细胞(CAFs),在 ICT 耐药性中起着关键作用;然而,其潜在机制仍在研究中。在这项研究中,我们发现与 ICT 敏感的黑色素瘤肿瘤相比,TNF 刺激因子 6(TSG-6)在 ICT 耐药性胰腺肿瘤中的表达水平更高,无论是在小鼠还是人类中都是如此。TSG-6 由 TME 中的 CAFs 表达,在 TME 中,抑制性巨噬细胞表达 Arg1、Mafb 和 Mrc1,同时表达 TSG-6 配体 Cd44,占主导地位。此外,表达 TSG-6 的 CAFs 与 TME 中表达 CD44 的巨噬细胞共定位。在胰腺肿瘤荷瘤小鼠中,联合 ICT 抑制 TSG-6 可减少表达免疫抑制表型的巨噬细胞并增加 CD8 T 细胞,从而提高治疗反应和生存率。总的来说,我们的研究结果表明 TSG-6 可作为一种治疗靶点,增强对无反应性肿瘤的 ICT 反应。
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