Romo1 is involved in the immune response of glioblastoma by regulating the function of macrophages

Guan Sun1, Ying Cao2, Chunfa Qian3

  • 1Department of Neurosurgery, Yancheng City No.1 People's Hospital, The Fourth Affiliated Hospital of Nantong University, Yancheng, PR China.

Aging
|January 17, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Reactive oxygen species modulator 1 (Romo1) overexpression in glioblastoma hinders anti-tumor immunity by promoting M2 macrophage polarization. Inhibiting Romo1 combined with immunotherapy improves survival, suggesting Romo1 as a therapeutic target.

Area of Science:

  • * Oncology
  • * Immunology
  • * Cell Biology

Background:

  • * Reactive oxygen species (ROS) modulator 1 (Romo1) is a mitochondrial protein regulating ROS production and redox sensing.
  • * The role of Romo1 in cancer, particularly glioblastoma, has been largely unexplored.
  • * Romo1's function in macrophages and its impact on the tumor microenvironment are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To investigate the role of Romo1 in glioblastoma progression and patient prognosis.
  • * To elucidate the mechanism by which Romo1 influences the tumor immune microenvironment.
  • * To evaluate Romo1 as a potential therapeutic target for glioblastoma immunotherapy.

Main Methods:

  • * Analysis of Romo1 expression in glioblastoma patient samples and correlation with prognosis.
  • * Investigation of Romo1 expression in macrophages and its effect on bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) polarization.
  • * Utilizing a glioblastoma mouse model to assess the impact of Romo1 overexpression on immune response and therapeutic efficacy of Romo1 inhibition combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy.

Main Results:

  • * High Romo1 expression correlates with poor glioblastoma prognosis.
  • * Romo1 is highly expressed in macrophages and its overexpression inhibits anti-tumor immune responses within the tumor microenvironment.
  • * Overexpression of Romo1 promotes M2 polarization of BMDMs via the mTORC1 signaling pathway.
  • * Inhibition of Romo1 combined with anti-PD-1 immunotherapy significantly improves survival in a glioblastoma mouse model.

Conclusions:

  • * Romo1 plays a critical role in modulating immune responses within the glioblastoma tumor microenvironment, particularly through macrophage polarization.
  • * Romo1 is implicated as a key factor in glioblastoma progression and immune evasion.
  • * Targeting Romo1 represents a promising strategy for enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy in glioblastoma treatment.