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Crosstalk between hepatic tumor cells and macrophages via Wnt/?-catenin signaling promotes M2-like macrophage polarization and reinforces tumor malignant behaviors.

ABSTRACT: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME) and play pivotal roles in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Wnt signaling is evolutionarily conserved and participates in liver tumorigenesis. Several studies have shown that macrophage-derived Wnt ligands can activate Wnt signaling in tumor cells. However, whether Wnt ligands secreted by tumor cells can trigger Wnt signaling in macrophages is still elusive. In this study, we first verified that canonical Wnt/?-catenin signaling was activated during monocyte-to-macrophage differentiation and in M2-polarized macrophages. Knockdown of ?-catenin in M2 macrophages exhibited stronger antitumor characteristics when cocultured with Hepa1-6 HCC cells in a series of experiments. Activation of Wnt signaling promoted M2 macrophage polarization through c-Myc. Moreover, co-culturing naïve macrophages with Hepa1-6 HCC cells in which Wnt ligands secretion was blocked by knockdown of Wntless inhibited M2 polarization in vitro. Consistently, the growth of HCC tumor orthotopically inoculated with Wntless-silenced Hepa1-6 cells was impeded, and the phenotype of M2-like TAMs was abrogated due to attenuated Wnt/?-catenin signaling in TAMs, leading to subverted immunosuppressive TME. Finally, we confirmed the correlation between M2 macrophage polarization and nuclear ?-catenin accumulation in CD68+ macrophages in human HCC biopsies. Taken together, our study indicates that tumor cells-derived Wnt ligands stimulate M2-like polarization of TAMs via canonical Wnt/?-catenin signaling, which results in tumor growth, migration, metastasis, and immunosuppression in HCC. To block Wnts secretion from tumor cells and/or Wnt/?-catenin signal activation in TAMs may be potential strategy for HCC therapy in future.

SUBMITTER: Yang Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6052107 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Crosstalk between hepatic tumor cells and macrophages via Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes M2-like macrophage polarization and reinforces tumor malignant behaviors.

Yang Yang Y Ye Yu-Chen YC Chen Yan Y Zhao Jun-Long JL Gao Chun-Chen CC Han Hua H Liu Wen-Chao WC Qin Hong-Yan HY

Cell death & disease 20180718 8

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME) and play pivotal roles in the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Wnt signaling is evolutionarily conserved and participates in liver tumorigenesis. Several studies have shown that macrophage-derived Wnt ligands can activate Wnt signaling in tumor cells. However, whether Wnt ligands secreted by tumor cells can trigger Wnt signaling in macrophages is still elusive. In this study, we first verified ...[more]

PMID: 30022048

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Project description:BackgroundSolid tumors promote tumor malignancy through interaction with the tumor microenvironment, resulting in difficulties in tumor treatment. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the communication between cells in the tumor and the surrounding microenvironment. Our previous study revealed the cancer malignancy mechanism of Bcl-w overexpressed in solid tumors, but no study was conducted on its relationship with immune cells in the tumor microenvironment. In this study, we sought to discover key factors in exosomes secreted from tumors overexpressing Bcl-w and analyze the interaction with the surrounding tumor microenvironment to identify the causes of tumor malignancy.MethodsTo analyze factors affecting the tumor microenvironment, a miRNA array was performed using exosomes derived from cancer cells overexpressing Bcl-w. The discovered miRNA, miR-6794-5p, was overexpressed and the tumorigenicity mechanism was confirmed using qRT-PCR, Western blot, invasion, wound healing, and sphere formation ability analysis. In addition, luciferase activity and Ago2-RNA immunoprecipitation assays were used to study the mechanism between miR-6794-5p and its target gene SOCS1. To confirm the interaction between macrophages and tumor-derived miR-6794-5p, co-culture was performed using conditioned media. Additionally, immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and flow cytometry were performed to analyze macrophages in the tumor tissues of experimental animals.ResultsMiR-6794-5p, which is highly expressed in exosomes secreted from Bcl-w-overexpressing cells, was selected, and it was shown that the overexpression of miR-6794-5p increased migratory ability, invasiveness, and stemness maintenance by suppressing the expression of the tumor suppressor SOCS1. Additionally, tumor-derived miR-6794-5p was delivered to THP-1-derived macrophages and induced M2 polarization by activating the JAK1/STAT3 pathway. Moreover, IL-10 secreted from M2 macrophages increased tumorigenicity by creating an immunosuppressive environment. The in vitro results were reconfirmed by confirming an increase in M2 macrophages and a decrease in M1 macrophages and CD8+ T cells when overexpressing miR-6794-5p in an animal model.ConclusionsIn this study, we identified changes in the tumor microenvironment caused by miR-6794-5p. Our study indicates that tumor-derived miR-6794-5p promotes tumor aggressiveness by inducing an immunosuppressive environment through interaction with macrophage.

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Crosstalk between hepatic tumor cells and macrophages via Wnt/?-catenin signaling promotes M2-like macrophage polarization and reinforces tumor malignant behaviors.

Publications

Crosstalk between hepatic tumor cells and macrophages via Wnt/β-catenin signaling promotes M2-like macrophage polarization and reinforces tumor malignant behaviors.

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