Abstract 1547: Tumor-derived macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and interleukin-6 cooperated in hypoxic accumulation of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid cells.

Abstract

Abstract Recently, myeloid derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) have gained much attention due to their role in tumor immunity suppression as well as promotion of angiogenesis, tumor cell invasion, and metastases. However, the mechanisms that regulate MDSCs recruitment have not been well clarified. Here, we demonstrated that hypoxic tumor microenvironment stimulate the recruitment of MDSCs through increased production of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) by head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) cells. Knock-down (KD) of HIF-1/2α in HNSCC cells decreased MIF level but did not inhibit the MDSCs migration, because HIF-1/2α KD increased NF-κB activity which further enhanced IL-6 secretion. In vivo administration of neutralizing IL-6 antibody and inhibitors against MIF and NF-κB decreased MDSCs accumulation, accompanied by reduced micro-vessel density (MVD), lymphatic vessel density (LVD), and xenograft tumor growth. The supplementation of MDSCs increased MVD, LVD, and xenograft tumor growth. In conclusion, hypoxic HNSCC cells may stimulate the accumulation of MDSCs through secreting MIF and IL-6. This process is mediated by interactions between NF-κB and HIF-1/2α. Strategies targeting hypoxic tumor microenvironment may represent attractive approaches to HNSCC therapy. [G Zhu and Y Tang contributed equally to this paper.] Citation Format: Guiquan Zhu, Yaling Tang, Ling Li, Xinhua Liang. Tumor-derived macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor and interleukin-6 cooperated in hypoxic accumulation of CD11b+Gr-1+ myeloid cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1547. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1547