Selective elimination of CD169+ macrophages in lymph nodes invaded by breast cancers

Maeshima, Y.; Kataoka, T. R.; Vandenbon, A.; Hirata, M.; Takeuchi, Y.; Suzuki, Y.; Fukui, Y.; Ibi, Y.; Haga, H.; Morita, S.; Toi, M.; Kawaoka, S.; Kawaguchi, K.

doi:10.1101/2023.08.02.551659

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.08.02.551659

Selective elimination of CD169+ macrophages in lymph nodes invaded by breast cancers

Maeshima, Y.·Kataoka, T. R.·Vandenbon, A.·Hirata, M.·Takeuchi, Y.·Suzuki, Y.·Fukui, Y.·Ibi, Y.·Haga, H.·Morita, S.·Toi, M.·Kawaoka, S.·Kawaguchi, K.

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Abstract

Breast cancer cells suppress the host immune system to efficiently invade the lymph nodes; however, the underlying mechanism remains incompletely understood. Here, we report that metastasized breast cancer cells selectively eliminate CD169+ lymph node sinus macrophages, an initiator of anti-cancer immunity, from the lymph nodes. The comparison between paired lymph nodes with and without metastasis from the same patients demonstrated that the number of CD169+ macrophages was reduced in metastatic lymph nodes, whereas the numbers of other major immune cell types were unaltered. We also detected the infiltration of CD169+ macrophages into metastasized cancer tissues depending on sections, suggesting that CD169+ macrophages were gradually eliminated after anti-cancer reactions. Furthermore, CD169+ macrophage elimination was prevalent in major breast cancer subtypes and correlated with breast cancer staging. Collectively, we propose that metastasized breast cancer cells dispel CD169+ macrophages from lymph nodes in a phased manner, disabling a critical step of anti-cancer immunity.

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Maeshima, Y., Kataoka, T. R., Vandenbon, A., Hirata, M., Takeuchi, Y., Suzuki, Y., Fukui, Y., Ibi, Y., Haga, H., Morita, S., Toi, M., Kawaoka, S., Kawaguchi, K.. 2023-08-05. Selective elimination of CD169+ macrophages in lymph nodes invaded by breast cancers. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.08.02.551659

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