Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells

The advancement in the understanding of cancer immune evasion has manifested the development of cancer immunotherapeutic approaches such as checkpoint inhibitors and interleukin agonists. Although cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs have demonstrated improved potency for cancer treatment, only a frac...

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Main Authors: Rapeepat Sangsuwan, Bhasirie Thuamsang, Noah Pacifici, Phum Tachachartvanich, Devan Murphy, Abhineet Ram, John Albeck, Jamal S. Lewis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-02-01
Series:Heliyon
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004785
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author Rapeepat Sangsuwan
Bhasirie Thuamsang
Noah Pacifici
Phum Tachachartvanich
Devan Murphy
Abhineet Ram
John Albeck
Jamal S. Lewis
author_facet Rapeepat Sangsuwan
Bhasirie Thuamsang
Noah Pacifici
Phum Tachachartvanich
Devan Murphy
Abhineet Ram
John Albeck
Jamal S. Lewis
author_sort Rapeepat Sangsuwan
collection DOAJ
description The advancement in the understanding of cancer immune evasion has manifested the development of cancer immunotherapeutic approaches such as checkpoint inhibitors and interleukin agonists. Although cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs have demonstrated improved potency for cancer treatment, only a fraction of patients effectively respond to these treatments. Moreover, there is compelling evidence indicating that cancer cells develop a unique microenvironment through adaptive metabolic reprogramming, which aberrantly modulates host immunity to evade immunosurveillance. As part of the tumor cell adaptive metabolic switch, lactate is produced and released into the tumor environment. Recent studies have shown that lactate significantly modulates immune functions, especially in innate immune cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (MΦs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells serving as key players in innate immunity and anticancer-associated immune responses. Although most studies have shown that lactate affects immune phenotypes (e.g., surface protein expression and cytokine production), the cell signaling network mediated by lactate is not fully understood. In the present study, we identified the key signaling pathways in bone marrow-derived DCs and MΦs that were changed by cancer-relevant concentrations of lactate. First, transcriptome analysis was used to guide notable signaling pathways mediated by lactate. Subsequently, biomolecular techniques, including immunoblotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence imaging were performed to corroborate the changes in these key signaling pathways at the protein level. The results indicated that lactate differentially impacted the biochemical networks of DCs and MΦs. While lactate mainly altered STAT3, ERK, and p38 MAPK signaling cascades in DCs, the STAT1 and GSK-3β signaling in MΦs were the major pathways significantly impacted by lactate. This study identifies key biochemical pathways in innate immune cells that are impacted by lactate, which advances our understanding of the interplay between the tumor microenvironment and innate immunity.
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spelling doaj-art-0f8d8c31353d40c39eb294d83a295da82025-02-02T05:28:58ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402025-02-01113e42098Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cellsRapeepat Sangsuwan0Bhasirie Thuamsang1Noah Pacifici2Phum Tachachartvanich3Devan Murphy4Abhineet Ram5John Albeck6Jamal S. Lewis7Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; Laboratory of Natural Products, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, 10210, ThailandDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USALaboratory of Environmental Toxicology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, 10210, ThailandDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USADepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USADepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USADepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, CA, 95616, USA; J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, FL, 32611, USA; Corresponding author. J. Crayton Pruitt Family Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Florida, FL, 32611, USA.The advancement in the understanding of cancer immune evasion has manifested the development of cancer immunotherapeutic approaches such as checkpoint inhibitors and interleukin agonists. Although cancer immunotherapy breakthroughs have demonstrated improved potency for cancer treatment, only a fraction of patients effectively respond to these treatments. Moreover, there is compelling evidence indicating that cancer cells develop a unique microenvironment through adaptive metabolic reprogramming, which aberrantly modulates host immunity to evade immunosurveillance. As part of the tumor cell adaptive metabolic switch, lactate is produced and released into the tumor environment. Recent studies have shown that lactate significantly modulates immune functions, especially in innate immune cells. Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (MΦs) are specialized antigen-presenting cells serving as key players in innate immunity and anticancer-associated immune responses. Although most studies have shown that lactate affects immune phenotypes (e.g., surface protein expression and cytokine production), the cell signaling network mediated by lactate is not fully understood. In the present study, we identified the key signaling pathways in bone marrow-derived DCs and MΦs that were changed by cancer-relevant concentrations of lactate. First, transcriptome analysis was used to guide notable signaling pathways mediated by lactate. Subsequently, biomolecular techniques, including immunoblotting, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence imaging were performed to corroborate the changes in these key signaling pathways at the protein level. The results indicated that lactate differentially impacted the biochemical networks of DCs and MΦs. While lactate mainly altered STAT3, ERK, and p38 MAPK signaling cascades in DCs, the STAT1 and GSK-3β signaling in MΦs were the major pathways significantly impacted by lactate. This study identifies key biochemical pathways in innate immune cells that are impacted by lactate, which advances our understanding of the interplay between the tumor microenvironment and innate immunity.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004785LactateImmunomodulatoryDendritic cellsMacrophagesTumor microenvironment
spellingShingle Rapeepat Sangsuwan
Bhasirie Thuamsang
Noah Pacifici
Phum Tachachartvanich
Devan Murphy
Abhineet Ram
John Albeck
Jamal S. Lewis
Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
Heliyon
Lactate
Immunomodulatory
Dendritic cells
Macrophages
Tumor microenvironment
title Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
title_full Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
title_fullStr Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
title_full_unstemmed Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
title_short Identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
title_sort identification of signaling networks associated with lactate modulation of macrophages and dendritic cells
topic Lactate
Immunomodulatory
Dendritic cells
Macrophages
Tumor microenvironment
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844025004785
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