SPP1⁺ TAM Regulates the Metastatic Colonization of CXCR4⁺ Metastasis-Associated Tumor Cells by Remodeling the Lymph Node Microenvironment.

ABSTRACT: Lymph node metastasis, the initial step in distant metastasis, represents a primary contributor to mortality in patients diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, the underlying mechanisms of lymph node metastasis in OSCC remain incompletely understood. Here, the transcriptomes of 56 383 single cells derived from paired tissues of six OSCC patients are analyzed. This study founds that CXCR4⁺ epithelial cells, identified as highly malignant disseminated tumor cells (DTCs), exhibited a propensity for lymph node metastasis. Importantly, a distinct subset of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) characterized by exclusive expression of phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1) is discovered. These TAMs may remodel the metastatic lymph node microenvironment by potentially activating f

SUBMITTER: Dong L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11600252 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature