Intratumoral macrophages contribute to epithelial-mesenchymal transition in solid tumors.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Several stromal cell subtypes including macrophages contribute to tumor progression by inducing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) at the invasive front, a mechanism also linked to metastasis. Tumor associated macrophages (TAM) reside mainly at the invasive front but they also infiltrate tumors and in this process they mainly assume a tumor promoting phenotype. In this study, we asked if TAMs also regulate EMT intratumorally. We found that TAMs through TGF-β signaling and activation of the β-catenin pathway can induce EMT in intratumoral cancer cells.

Methods

We depleted macrophages in F9-teratocarcinoma bearing mice using clodronate-liposomes and analyzed the tumors for correlations between gene and protein expression of EMT-associated and macrophage markers

SUBMITTER: Bonde AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3314544 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature