Linking tumor-associated macrophages, inflammation, and intestinal tumorigenesis: role of MCP-1. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Tumor-associated macrophages are associated with poor prognosis in certain cancers. Monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) is thought to be the most important chemokine for recruitment of macrophages to the tumor microenvironment. However, its role on tumorigenesis in a genetic mouse model of colon cancer has not been explored. We examined the role of MCP-1 on tumor-associated macrophages, inflammation, and intestinal tumorigenesis. Male Apc(Min/+), Apc(Min/+)/MCP-1(-/-) or wild-type mice were euthanized at 18 wk of age and intestines were analyzed for polyp burden, apoptosis, proliferation, -catenin, macrophage number and phenotype, markers for cytotoxic T lymphocytes and regulatory T cells, and inflammatory mediators. MCP-1 deficiency decreased overall polyp number by 20% and specifically large polyp number by 45% (P < 0.05). This was consistent with an increase in apoptotic cells (P < 0.05), but there was no change detected in proliferation or -catenin. MCP-1 deficiency decreased F4/80-positive cells in both the polyp tissue and surrounding intestinal tissue (P < 0.05) as well as expression of markers associated with M1 (IL-12 and IL-23) and M2 macrophages (IL-13, CD206, TGF-, and CCL17) (P < 0.05). MCP-1 knockout was also associated with increased cytotoxic T lymphocytes and decreased regulatory T cells (P < 0.05). In addition, MCP-1(-/-) offset the increased mRNA expression of IL-1 and IL-6 in intestinal tissue and IL-1 and TNF- in polyp tissue (P < 0.05), and prevented the decrease in SOCS1 expression (P < 0.05). We demonstrate that MCP-1 is an important mediator of tumor growth and immune regulation that may serve as an important biomarker and/or therapeutic target in colon cancer.

published proceedings

  • Am J Physiol Gastrointest Liver Physiol

author list (cited authors)

  • McClellan, J. L., Davis, J. M., Steiner, J. L., Enos, R. T., Jung, S. H., Carson, J. A., ... Murphy, E. A.

complete list of authors

  • McClellan, Jamie L||Davis, J Mark||Steiner, Jennifer L||Enos, Reilly T||Jung, Seung H||Carson, James A||Pena, Maria M||Carnevale, Kevin A||Berger, Franklin G||Murphy, E Angela