Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 21, 2026
08:32
Enrichment and Characterization of the Tumor Immune and Non-immune Microenvironments in Established Subcutaneous Murine Tumors
Published on: June 7, 2018
Differential assembly of mouse and human tumor microenvironments
Tristan Courau1,2,3, Rebecca G Jaszczak4, Bushra Samad5,4
1Department of Pathology and ImmunoX Initiative, UCSF, San Francisco, CA, USA. tristan.courau@ucsf.edu.
Nature Immunology
|May 19, 2026
Summary
Most mouse cancer models poorly mimic human tumor microenvironments (TMEs), showing high macrophage levels. However, conserved gene expression programs between T cells and myeloid cells can predict clinical outcomes, offering insights for cancer research.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cancer Biology
- Translational Medicine
Background:
- Mouse models are crucial for developing human cancer treatments.
- The tumor microenvironment (TME) composition in mouse models is poorly understood.
- Accurate TME recapitulation is vital for effective preclinical studies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically compare the TME composition across commonly used mouse cancer models.
- To identify species-specific differences and conserved features in murine TMEs.
- To explore the relationship between TME cellular composition and gene expression for predicting clinical outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic immunoprofiling of 15 common mouse cancer models.
- Analysis of chemokine expression networks and immune cell subtype frequencies.
- Dissection of coordinated gene expression programs in T cells and myeloid cells.
Main Results:
- Most murine TMEs resemble poorly infiltrated human tumors, with high macrophage density.
- Significant species-specific biases in chemokine networks and immune cell frequencies were observed.
- Conserved gene expression programs, particularly an axis between interferon-responsive myeloid cells and T cell cytotoxicity, were identified across models.
- This conserved axis predicts clinical outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Murine TMEs often differ significantly from human TMEs, presenting challenges for cancer drug development.
- Despite differences, conserved immune cell interactions and gene expression programs offer valuable insights.
- This study provides a framework for understanding the utility and limitations of mouse models in cancer research.
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