Phenotypic Diversity and Plasticity in Circulating Neutrophil Subpopulations in Cancer
Menée à l'aide de modèles murins et à partir d'échantillons sanguins prélevés sur des patients atteints d'un cancer du poumon ou du sein, cette étude identifie, dans la circulation sanguine, trois sous-populations de neutrophiles exerçant des fonctions différentes au cours de la progression tumorale
Controversy surrounds neutrophil function in cancer because neutrophils were shown to provide both pro- and antitumor functions. We identified a heterogeneous subset of low-density neutrophils (LDNs) that appear transiently in self-resolving inflammation but accumulate continuously with cancer progression. LDNs display impaired neutrophil function and immunosuppressive properties, characteristics that are in stark contrast to those of mature, high-density neutrophils (HDNs). LDNs consist of both immature myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and mature cells that are derived from HDNs in a TGF-
β-dependent mechanism. Our findings identify three distinct populations of circulating neutrophils and challenge the concept that mature neutrophils have limited plasticity. Furthermore, our findings provide a mechanistic explanation to mitigate the controversy surrounding neutrophil function in cancer.
http://www.cell.com/cell-reports/abstract/S2211-1247(14)01092-4