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Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Evaluation of the Interplay Between the Complement Protein C1q and Hyaluronic Acid in Promoting Cell Adhesion
Published on: June 15, 2019
C1q+ macrophages: passengers or drivers of cancer progression
Margot Revel1, Catherine Sautès-Fridman1, Wolf-Herman Fridman1
1Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, INSERM, Sorbonne Université, Université de Paris, F-75006 Paris, France.
Abstract:
The omics era made possible the quest for efficient markers for cancer progression and revealed that macrophage populations are much more complex than just the M1/M2 dichotomy. Complement C1q pops up as a marker of a tolerogenic and immunosuppressive macrophage populations in both healthy and tumor tissues, but the specific role of C1q+ tumor-associated macrophages (TAM) is poorly understood. C1q is co-expressed in healthy and tumor macrophages with human leukocyte antigen DR (HLA-DR), Apolipoprotein E (APOE), and mannose receptor C-type 1 (MRC1) (CD206), suggesting a resident origin of this population. TAM expressing C1q correlate with T cell exhaustion and poor prognosis in numerous cancers. Herein, we discuss the plural roles of C1q in these macrophages and how it could drive cancer progression.
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