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Updated: Nov 5, 2025
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Real-time Imaging of Myeloid Cells Dynamics in ApcMin/+ Intestinal Tumors by Spinning Disk Confocal Microscopy
Published on: October 6, 2014
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The multiple myeloma microenvironment is defined by an inflammatory stromal cell landscape
Madelon M E de Jong1, Zoltán Kellermayer1, Natalie Papazian1
1Department of Hematology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
Nature Immunology
|May 21, 2021
Summary
Multiple myeloma persistence is linked to inflammatory mesenchymal stromal cells in the bone marrow microenvironment. These cells, activated by cytokines, resist reversal by therapy, suggesting a role in disease relapse.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Malignancy progression is influenced by the tumor microenvironment.
- Understanding malignant cell biology within their surroundings is crucial for treating incurable tumors.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the bone marrow microenvironment in multiple myeloma.
- To identify specific cell types and interactions contributing to myeloma progression and persistence.
Main Methods:
- Generated paired single-cell transcriptomic datasets of multiple myeloma tumor cells.
- Analyzed bone marrow immune and stromal microenvironment components.
- Investigated spatial colocalization and gene expression patterns of identified cell types.
Main Results:
- Identified myeloma-specific inflammatory mesenchymal stromal cells colocalizing with tumor and immune cells.
- Observed that these stromal cells transcribe genes promoting tumor survival and immune modulation.
- Found that inflammatory signatures are driven by proinflammatory cytokines, with T cell subsets as potential sources.
Conclusions:
- Successful antitumor therapy does not reverse bone marrow inflammation, indicating a role for mesenchymal stromal cells in disease persistence.
- Myeloma-associated mesenchymal stromal cells represent a potential therapeutic target for overcoming treatment resistance.
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