CCL2/CCR2-dependent recruitment of functional antigen-presenting cells into tumors upon chemotherapy

Cancer Res. 2014 Jan 15;74(2):436-45. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-13-1265. Epub 2013 Dec 3.

Abstract

The therapeutic efficacy of anthracyclines relies, at least partially, on the induction of a dendritic cell- and T-lymphocyte-dependent anticancer immune response. Here, we show that anthracycline-based chemotherapy promotes the recruitment of functional CD11b(+)CD11c(+)Ly6C(high)Ly6G(-)MHCII(+) dendritic cell-like antigen-presenting cells (APC) into the tumor bed, but not into lymphoid organs. Accordingly, draining lymph nodes turned out to be dispensable for the proliferation of tumor antigen-specific T cells within neoplastic lesions as induced by anthracyclines. In addition, we found that tumors treated with anthracyclines manifest increased expression levels of the chemokine Ccl2. Such a response is important as neoplasms growing in Ccl2(-/-) mice failed to accumulate dendritic cell-like APCs in response to chemotherapy. Moreover, cancers developing in mice lacking Ccl2 or its receptor (Ccr2) exhibited suboptimal therapeutic responses to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Altogether, our results underscore the importance of the CCL2/CCR2 signaling axis for therapeutic anticancer immune responses as elicited by immunogenic chemotherapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Anthracyclines / therapeutic use
  • Antigen Presentation
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / drug effects
  • Antigen-Presenting Cells / immunology*
  • Antigens, Neoplasm / metabolism
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Chemokine CCL2 / genetics
  • Chemokine CCL2 / metabolism*
  • Dendritic Cells / cytology
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Lymph Node Excision
  • Lymphocyte Activation
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Microscopy, Fluorescence
  • Neoplasm Transplantation
  • Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis
  • Receptors, CCR2 / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • T-Lymphocytes / cytology

Substances

  • Anthracyclines
  • Antigens, Neoplasm
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Ccl2 protein, mouse
  • Ccr2 protein, mouse
  • Chemokine CCL2
  • Receptors, CCR2