title: Tumor cell-derived microparticles polarize M2 tumor-associated macrophages for tumor progression.
abstract: Despite identification of macrophages in tumors (tumor-associated macrophages, TAM) as potential targets for cancer therapy, the origin and function of TAM in the context of malignancy remain poorly characterized. Here, we show that microparticles (MPs), as a by-product, released by tumor cells act as a general mechanism to mediate M2 polarization of TAM. Taking up tumor MPs by macrophages is a very efficient process, which in turn results in the polarization of macrophages into M2 type, not only leading to promoting tumor growth and metastasis but also facilitating cancer stem cell development. Moreover, we demonstrate that the underlying mechanism involves the activation of the cGAS/STING/TBK1/STAT6 pathway by tumor MPs. Finally, in addition to murine tumor MPs, we show that human counterparts also possess consistent effect on human M2 polarization. These findings provide new insights into a critical role of tumor MPs in remodeling of tumor microenvironment and better understanding of the communications between tumors and macrophages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Ruihua
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Tiantian
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Degao
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Wenqian
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Huafeng
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaonan
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jingwei
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College , Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology , Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: Guanxin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Center of Systems Medicine, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China, Suzhou Institute of Systems Medicine , Suzhou, China.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; State Key Laboratory of Medical Molecular Biology and Department of Immunology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bo
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Huang
keywords: M2 tumor-associated macrophages; cGAS/STING pathway; polarization; tumor cell-derived microparticles; tumor progression