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Background: Cell-cell interaction factors that facilitate the progression of adenoma to sporadic colorectal cancer (CRC) remain unclear, thereby hindering patient survival.
Methods: We performed spatial transcriptomics on five early CRC cases, which included adenoma and carcinoma, and one advanced CRC. To elucidate cell-cell interactions within the tumour microenvironment (TME), we investigated the colocalisation network at single-cell resolution using a deep generative model for colocalisation analysis, combined with a single-cell transcriptome, and assessed the clinical significance in CRC patients.
Findings: CRC cells colocalised with regulatory T cells (Tregs) at the adenoma-carcinoma interface. At early-stage carcinogenesis, cell-cell interaction inference between colocalised adenoma and cancer epithelial cells and Tregs based on the spatial distribution of single cells highlighted midkine (MDK) as a prominent signalling molecule sent from tumour epithelial cells to Tregs. Interaction between MDK-high CRC cells and SPP1+ macrophages and stromal cells proved to be the mechanism underlying immunosuppression in the TME. Additionally, we identified syndecan4 (SDC4) as a receptor for MDK associated with Treg colocalisation. Finally, clinical analysis using CRC datasets indicated that increased MDK/SDC4 levels correlated with poor overall survival in CRC patients.
Interpretation: MDK is involved in the immune tolerance shown by Tregs to tumour growth. MDK-mediated formation of the TME could be a potential target for early diagnosis and treatment of CRC.
Funding: Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Grant-in-Aid for Science Research; OITA Cancer Research Foundation; AMED under Grant Number; Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST); Takeda Science Foundation; The Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ebiom.2024.105102 | DOI Listing |
Crit Rev Immunol
January 2025
Department of Pharmacy, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS) Pilani, Hyderabad Campus, Dist. Medchal,500078, Telangana State, India.
IL-2 agonists significantly modulate T cell regulation, impacting activation, proliferation, differentiation, and immune homeostasis. Interleukin-2 (IL-2) is crucial for T cell growth and function, binding to the IL-2 receptor to trigger signaling pathways that balance immune responses. IL-2 promotes the expansion of effector T cells and enhances regulatory T cells (Tregs), preventing autoimmune responses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOncol Res
September 2025
Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, 510120, China.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a highly aggressive malignancy, largely driven by an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that facilitates tumor growth, immune escape, and resistance to therapy. Although immunotherapy-particularly immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs)-has transformed the therapeutic landscape by restoring T cell-mediated anti-tumor responses, their clinical benefit as monotherapy remains suboptimal. This limitation is primarily attributed to immunosuppressive components within the TME, including tumor-associated macrophages, regulatory T cells (Tregs), and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Pain Res
September 2025
Department of Pain, Zhejiang Jiashan County First People's Hospital, Jiaxing, Zhejiang, People's Republic of China.
Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system. Neuropathic pain (NP) is a type of symptom that is often overlooked but significantly affects the quality of life of patients. Its etiology is complex, and the specific molecular mechanism is still unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Immunol
September 2025
Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, The Second Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan, Shanxi, China.
Background: Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are found to be critical for maintaining immune tolerance to self-antigens; however, their status in primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) remains unclear. We investigated alterations in the abundance of peripheral Tregs in a large pSS cohort and their implications for patients.
Methods: Levels of CD4+CD25+FOXP3+Treg cells in the peripheral blood of 624 patients with pSS, and 93 healthy controls (HCs) were detected using modified flow cytometry (FCM).
Front Immunol
September 2025
Medical Diagnostic and Microbiological Laboratory of Ludwik Rydygier Hospital in Suwalki, Suwalki, Poland.
Background: Dysregulation of immune responses may influence the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Our recent data suggest the role of Th17-related cytokines in fibrosis advancement in MASLD. Herein, we aimed to analyze T-regulatory and Th17-producing T-lymphocytes by flow cytometry with respect to MASLD progression.
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