Differentiation and function of transitional monocytes in cancer metastasis to the lung

项目总结/摘要 当癌细胞从其起源部位扩散到远端器官时发生癌症转移，并且这是癌细胞转移的主要原因。 导致实体癌患者死亡的主要原因。当癌症扩散到肺部时， 免疫细胞帮助或抑制这种定植过程。单核细胞是最早的细胞类型之一， 在转移开始时淹没肺部。这些单核细胞最终成为肿瘤支持细胞， 转移相关的巨噬细胞（MAMs），并且该领域的许多研究已经报道单核细胞和巨噬细胞在转移相关的巨噬细胞（MAMs）中的作用。 MAMs积极地帮助转移性癌症浸润肺部并在那里定居。我的项目旨在 了解单核细胞如何分化成MAMs;特别是，什么信号和因素是至关重要的 发生在肺部。此外，从我的初步数据，我已经确定了一个时间窗口， 其中单核细胞已经经历了明显的表型变化，但尚未完全发育成MAMs。 有趣的是，这一过渡期也与其他免疫细胞类型的抗肿瘤活性相吻合，如 自然杀伤（NK）细胞。因此，我的目的是研究促肿瘤单核细胞和抗肿瘤单核细胞之间的相互作用。 在癌症转移到肺部的最初几个小时内，肿瘤NK细胞。通过了解 这些相互作用的基础机制有助于增加肺转移的可能性， 将能够为预防转移的新治疗努力提供有价值的见解。

Project Summary/Abstract Cancer metastasis occurs when cancer cells spread to distal organs from their site of origin, and it is the leading cause of death in patients with solid cancers. When cancer spreads to the lung, various types of innate immune cells either help or inhibit this colonization process. Monocytes are one of the earliest cell types to flood the lung during the beginning of metastasis. These monocytes eventually become tumor-supporting metastasis-associated macrophages (MAMs), and many studies in the field have reported that monocytes and MAMs actively aid metastatic cancer to infiltrate the lung and take residence there. My project aims to understand how monocytes differentiate into MAMs; in particular, what signals and factors are critical for this transition to occur in the lung. Furthermore, from my preliminary data, I have identified a time window during which monocytes have undergone clear phenotypic changes but have not yet fully developed into MAMs. Interestingly, this transition period also coincides with the anti-tumor activity of other immune cell types, such as natural killer (NK) cells. Therefore, I aim to study the interactions between pro-tumoral monocytes and anti- tumoral NK cells during the first several hours of cancer metastasis to the lung. By understanding how the mechanisms that underlie these interactions help to increase the odds of metastatic establishment in the lung, I will be able to contribute valuable insights towards novel therapeutic efforts to prevent metastasis.