Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 11, 2026

Time-Lapse 2D Imaging of Phagocytic Activity in M1 Macrophage-4T1 Mouse Mammary Carcinoma Cells in Co-cultures
10:23

Time-Lapse 2D Imaging of Phagocytic Activity in M1 Macrophage-4T1 Mouse Mammary Carcinoma Cells in Co-cultures

Published on: December 14, 2019

9.9K

Macrophages of M1 phenotype have properties that influence lung cancer cell progression

Alexander Hedbrant1, Jonny Wijkander1, Tomas Seidal1

  • 1Department of Health Sciences, Karlstad University, 651 88, Karlstad, Sweden.

Tumour Biology : the Journal of the International Society for Oncodevelopmental Biology and Medicine
|June 8, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Stromal macrophages, particularly M1 phenotype, significantly influence metastasis-related proteins like urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) in lung cancers. M1 macrophages exhibit dual roles, promoting and inhibiting tumor growth.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Immunology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Stromal macrophages are implicated in cancer metastasis through protein expression, but their comparative role versus cancer cells in lung cancers remains unclear.
  • Key proteins involved in metastasis include urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), its receptor uPAR, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), and matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2, MMP-9).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the expression of metastasis-associated genes (uPA, uPAR, PAI-1, MMP-2, MMP-9) in M1 and M2 macrophages versus small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines.
  • To investigate the effects of macrophage-conditioned media on cancer cell gene expression and growth.
  • To analyze the in-situ presence of uPAR, MMP-2, and MMP-9 in lung cancer biopsies.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative analysis of mRNA expression in M1/M2 macrophages and NCI-H520 (SCC) / NCI-H69 (SCLC) cell lines.
  • Treatment of cancer cell lines with conditioned media (CM) from M1 and M2 macrophages.
  • Immunohistochemical analysis of tumor biopsies for uPAR, MMP-2, and MMP-9 expression in stromal cells.

Main Results:

  • Macrophages, especially M1 phenotype, expressed significantly higher levels of uPA, uPAR, PAI-1, and MMP-9 mRNA compared to cancer cell lines.
  • M1 macrophage-conditioned media upregulated PAI-1 in both SCC and SCLC cells and inhibited their growth.
  • uPAR, MMP-2, and MMP-9 were detected in stromal cells, including macrophages, within SCC and SCLC biopsies.

Conclusions:

  • Stromal macrophages, particularly M1 phenotype, play a substantial role in expressing key proteins affecting metastasis in lung cancer.
  • M1 macrophages demonstrate a dual role, potentially promoting metastasis via PAI-1 upregulation and inhibiting tumor growth simultaneously.
  • These findings highlight the complex interplay between macrophages and cancer cells in SCLC and SCC progression.
Keywords:
Lung cancerM1 macrophagesM2 macrophagesMMPuPAuPAR

More Related Videos

Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization into an M2-Like Phenotype using a Human Monocyte-Like THP-1 Leukemia Cell Line06:38

Macrophage Differentiation and Polarization into an M2-Like Phenotype using a Human Monocyte-Like THP-1 Leukemia Cell Line

Published on: August 2, 2021

32.8K
Real Time Detection of In Vitro Tumor Cell Apoptosis Induced by CD8+ T Cells to Study Immune Suppressive Functions of Tumor-infiltrating Myeloid Cells09:57

Real Time Detection of In Vitro Tumor Cell Apoptosis Induced by CD8+ T Cells to Study Immune Suppressive Functions of Tumor-infiltrating Myeloid Cells

Published on: January 29, 2019

23.6K

Related Concept Videos

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression03:03

mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression

The mammalian target of rapamycin or mTOR protein was discovered in 1994 due to its direct interaction with rapamycin. The protein gets its name from a yeast homolog called TOR. The mTOR protein complex in mammalian cells plays a major role in balancing anabolic processes such as the synthesis of proteins, lipids, and nucleotides and catabolic processes, such as autophagy in response to environmental cues, such as availability of nutrients and growth factors.
The mTOR pathway or the...
5.1K