Effect of miR-142-3p on the M2 macrophage and therapeutic efficacy against murine glioblastoma. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • BACKGROUND: The immune therapeutic potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the context of tumor-mediated immune suppression has not been previously described for monocyte-derived glioma-associated macrophages, which are the largest infiltrating immune cell population in glioblastomas and facilitate gliomagenesis. METHODS: An miRNA microarray was used to compare expression profiles between human glioblastoma-infiltrating macrophages and matched peripheral monocytes. The effects of miR-142-3p on phenotype and function of proinflammatory M1 and immunosuppressive M2 macrophages were determined. The therapeutic effect of miR-142-3p was ascertained in immune-competent C57BL/6J mice harboring intracerebral GL261 gliomas and in genetically engineered Ntv-a mice bearing high-grade gliomas. Student t test was used to evaluate the differences between ex vivo datasets. Survival was analyzed with the log-rank test and tumor sizes with linear mixed models and F test. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: miR-142-3p was the most downregulated miRNA (approximately 4.95-fold) in glioblastoma-infiltrating macrophages. M2 macrophages had lower miR-142-3p expression relative to M1 macrophages (P = .03). Overexpression of miR-142-3p in M2 macrophages induced selective modulation of transforming growth factor beta receptor 1, which led to subsequent preferential apoptosis in the M2 subset (P = .01). In vivo miR-142-3p administration resulted in glioma growth inhibition (P = .03, n = 5) and extended median survival (miR-142-3p-treated C57BL/6J mice vs scramble control: 31 days vs 23.5 days, P = .03, n = 10; miR-142-3p treated Ntv-a mice vs scramble control: 32 days vs 24 days, P = .03, n = 9), with an associated decrease in infiltrating macrophages (R (2) = .303). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate a unique role of miR-142-3p in glioma immunity by modulating M2 macrophages through the transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway.

published proceedings

  • J Natl Cancer Inst

altmetric score

  • 5.75

author list (cited authors)

  • Xu, S., Wei, J., Wang, F., Kong, L., Ling, X., Nduom, E., ... Heimberger, A. B.

citation count

  • 96

complete list of authors

  • Xu, Shuo||Wei, Jun||Wang, Fei||Kong, Ling-Yuan||Ling, Xiao-Yang||Nduom, Edjah||Gabrusiewicz, Konrad||Doucette, Tiffany||Yang, Yuhui||Yaghi, Nasser K||Fajt, Virginia||Levine, Jonathan M||Qiao, Wei||Li, Xin-Gang||Lang, Frederick F||Rao, Ganesh||Fuller, Gregory N||Calin, George A||Heimberger, Amy B

publication date

  • August 2014