Mesenchymal stromal cells orchestrate follicular lymphoma cell niche through the CCL2-dependent recruitment and polarization of monocytes

F Guilloton, G Caron, C Ménard… - Blood, The Journal …, 2012 - ashpublications.org
F Guilloton, G Caron, C Ménard, C Pangault, P Amé-Thomas, J Dulong, J De Vos, D Rossille…
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2012ashpublications.org
Accumulating evidence indicates that infiltrating stromal cells contribute directly and
indirectly to tumor growth in a wide range of cancers. In follicular lymphoma (FL), malignant
B cells are found admixed with heterogeneous lymphoid-like stromal cells within invaded
lymph nodes and BM. In addition, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) support in vitro FL B-
cell survival, in particular after their engagement toward lymphoid differentiation. We show
here that BM-MSCs obtained from patients with FL (FL-MSCs) display a specific gene …
Abstract
Accumulating evidence indicates that infiltrating stromal cells contribute directly and indirectly to tumor growth in a wide range of cancers. In follicular lymphoma (FL), malignant B cells are found admixed with heterogeneous lymphoid-like stromal cells within invaded lymph nodes and BM. In addition, mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) support in vitro FL B-cell survival, in particular after their engagement toward lymphoid differentiation. We show here that BM-MSCs obtained from patients with FL (FL-MSCs) display a specific gene expression profile compared with MSCs obtained from healthy age-matched donors (HD-MSCs). This FL-MSC signature is significantly enriched for genes associated with a lymphoid-like commitment. Interestingly, CCL2 could be detected at a high level within the FL-cell niche, is up-regulated in HD-MSCs by coculture with malignant B cells, and is overexpressed by FL-MSCs, in agreement with their capacity to recruit monocytes more efficiently than HD-MSCs. Moreover, FL-MSCs and macrophages cooperate to sustain malignant B-cell growth, whereas FL-MSCs drive monocyte differentiation toward a proangiogenic and lipopolysaccharide-unresponsive phenotype close to that of tumor-associated macrophages. Altogether, these results highlight the complex role of FL stromal cells that promote direct tumor B-cell growth and orchestrate FL-cell niche, thus emerging as a potential therapeutic target in this disease.
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