A distinguishing gene signature shared by tumor-infiltrating Tie2-expressing monocytes, blood "resident" monocytes, and embryonic macrophages suggests common functions and developmental relationships

Blood. 2009 Jul 23;114(4):901-14. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-01-200931. Epub 2009 Apr 21.

Abstract

We previously showed that Tie2-expressing monocytes (TEMs) have nonredundant proangiogenic activity in tumors. Here, we compared the gene expression profile of tumor-infiltrating TEMs with that of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), spleen-derived Gr1(+)Cd11b(+) neutrophils/myeloid-derived suppressor cells, circulating "inflammatory" and "resident" monocytes, and tumor-derived endothelial cells (ECs) by quantitative polymerase chain reaction-based gene arrays. TEMs sharply differed from ECs and Gr1(+)Cd11b(+) cells but were highly related to TAMs. Nevertheless, several genes were differentially expressed between TEMs and TAMs, highlighting a TEM signature consistent with enhanced proangiogenic/tissue-remodeling activity and lower proinflammatory activity. We validated these findings in models of oncogenesis and transgenic mice expressing a microRNA-regulated Tie2-GFP reporter. Remarkably, resident monocytes and TEMs on one hand, and inflammatory monocytes and TAMs on the other hand, expressed coordinated gene expression profiles, suggesting that the 2 blood monocyte subsets are committed to distinct extravascular fates in the tumor microenvironment. We further showed that a prominent proportion of embryonic/fetal macrophages, which participate in tissue morphogenesis, expressed distinguishing TEM genes. It is tempting to speculate that Tie2(+) embryonic/fetal macrophages, resident blood monocytes, and tumor-infiltrating TEMs represent distinct developmental stages of a TEM lineage committed to execute physiologic proangiogenic and tissue-remodeling programs, which can be co-opted by tumors.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blood Cells / immunology
  • Blood Cells / metabolism
  • Chemotaxis, Leukocyte / genetics
  • Embryo, Mammalian / immunology*
  • Embryo, Mammalian / metabolism
  • Gene Expression Profiling*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental / physiology
  • Macrophages / metabolism*
  • Macrophages / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Monocytes / metabolism*
  • Monocytes / pathology
  • Monocytes / physiology
  • Neoplasms / genetics
  • Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Receptor, TIE-2 / genetics
  • Receptor, TIE-2 / metabolism*

Substances

  • Receptor, TIE-2