Effect of miR-142-3p on the M2 macrophage and therapeutic efficacy against murine glioblastoma

Authors

Document Type

Article

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The immune therapeutic potential of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the context of tumor-mediated immune suppression has not been previously described for monocyte-derived glioma-associated macrophages, which are the largest infiltrating immune cell population in glioblastomas and facilitate gliomagenesis. METHODS: An miRNA microarray was used to compare expression profiles between human glioblastoma-infiltrating macrophages and matched peripheral monocytes. The effects of miR-142-3p on phenotype and function of proinflammatory M1 and immunosuppressive M2 macrophages were determined. The therapeutic effect of miR-142-3p was ascertained in immune-competent C57BL/6J mice harboring intracerebral GL261 gliomas and in genetically engineered Ntv-a mice bearing high-grade gliomas. Student t test was used to evaluate the differences between ex vivo datasets. Survival was analyzed with the log-rank test and tumor sizes with linear mixed models and F test. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS: miR-142-3p was the most downregulated miRNA (approximately 4.95-fold) in glioblastoma-infiltrating macrophages. M2 macrophages had lower miR-142-3p expression relative to M1 macrophages (P = .03). Overexpression of miR-142-3p in M2 macrophages induced selective modulation of transforming growth factor beta receptor 1, which led to subsequent preferential apoptosis in the M2 subset (P = .01). In vivo miR-142-3p administration resulted in glioma growth inhibition (P = .03, n = 5) and extended median survival (miR-142-3p-treated C57BL/6J mice vs scramble control: 31 days vs 23.5 days, P = .03, n = 10; miR-142-3p treated Ntv-a mice vs scramble control: 32 days vs 24 days, P = .03, n = 9), with an associated decrease in infiltrating macrophages (R (2) = .303). CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate a unique role of miR-142-3p in glioma immunity by modulating M2 macrophages through the transforming growth factor beta signaling pathway.

Medical Subject Headings

Animals; Apoptosis; Brain Neoplasms (drug therapy, genetics, immunology); Cell Line, Tumor; Down-Regulation; Gene Expression Profiling; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Glioblastoma (drug therapy, genetics, immunology); Humans; Macrophages (drug effects, immunology); Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; MicroRNAs (immunology, pharmacology); Monocytes (drug effects); Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Signal Transduction; Transforming Growth Factor beta1 (metabolism); Up-Regulation

Publication Date

8-1-2014

Publication Title

Journal of the National Cancer Institute

E-ISSN

1460-2105

Volume

106

Issue

8

PubMed ID

24974128

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/jnci/dju162

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