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Balibalos, J.

Publications and source records attributed to Balibalos, J..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PTPN1/2 inhibits alveolar macrophage-mediated control of lung metastasis

Metastasis remains the leading cause of cancer mortality, yet effective therapies are limited. While therapeutic responses are influenced by organ-specific immune microenvironments, strategies to pharmacologically modulate these niches remain poorly defined. Here, using the clinical-stage inhibitor ABBV-CLS-484 (AC484) as a chemical probe, we demonstrate that systemic PTPN1/2 inhibition remodels the pulmonary myeloid landscape, specifically activating alveolar macrophages (AMs) toward a tumoricidal state. Integrated single-cell/spatial transcriptomics and functional assays reveal that AC484 promotes AM accumulation within metastatic lesions, elevates their IFN{gamma} production and responsiveness, and enhances their tumor-killing activity. Depletion of AMs diminishes the anti-metastatic efficacy of AC484. Mechanistically, inhibiting PTPN1/2 by AC484 amplifies IFN{gamma}-STAT1 signaling in AMs, while disrupting this pathway impairs their tumor control capability. These findings delineate a distinct innate immune axis where PTPN1/2 acts as a molecular "brake" on AM activation, suggesting that pharmacologically unleashing tissue-resident macrophages offers a therapeutic strategy to overcome metastatic progression, particularly in microenvironments where adaptive immunity is insufficient. SignificanceAMs are potent anti-metastatic immune effectors functionally constrained by PTPN1/2. Pharmacologically inhibiting PTPN1/2 amplifies their IFN{gamma}-STAT1 signaling and tumoricidal activity, establishing a strategy to reactivate tissue-resident immunity against metastasis.

immunology↗

Dissection of multiple sclerosis genetics identifies B and CD4 T cells as driver cell subsets

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune condition of the central nervous system with a well-characterized genetic background. Prior analyses of MS genetics have identified broad enrichments across peripheral immune cells, yet the driver immune subsets are unclear. We utilized chromatin accessibility data across hematopoietic cells to identify cell type-specific enrichments of MS genetic signals. We found that CD4 T and B cells were independently enriched for MS genetics and further refined the driver subsets to Th17 and memory B cells, respectively. We replicated our findings in data from untreated and treated MS patients and found that immunomodulatory treatments suppress chromatin accessibility at driver cell types. Integration of statistical fine-mapping and chromatin interactions nominated numerous putative causal genes, illustrating complex interplay between shared and cell-specific genes. Our study highlights how careful integration of genetics and epigenetics can provide fine-scale insights into causal cell types and nominate new genes and pathways for disease.

genetics↗