Specific lineage transition of tumor-associated macrophages elicits immune evasion of ascitic tumor cells in gastric cancer with peritoneal metastasis

ConclusionsFor the first time, we identified an immunosuppressive macrophage transition from CTShigh to C1Qhigh TAM in ascites from patients with PM-GC. This may contribute to developing potential TAM-targeted immunotherapies for PM-GC.Graphical AbstractSchematic of the immune TME of ascites and the crosstalk with aDTCs in patients with PM-GC. In ascites with TAM-dominant TME, the ascitic TAMs undergo CTS-to-C1Q transition to support multiple phases of aDTC dissemination, including aDTC homing, proliferation, immune escape, and therapeutic resistance. While in ascites with T-cell-dominant TME, enriched T cells do not imply “immune-hot” TME. Infiltrated CD8+ T cells are GZMK+ precursor-exhausted cells that have lost their capacity to kill tumor cells. (Abbreviations:aDTC ascites-disseminated tumor cells,CTS cathepsin,TAM Tumor-associated macrophages,TME tumor microenvironment)
Source: Gastric Cancer - Category: Gastroenterology Source Type: research