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Review
. 2022 Nov;86(Pt 1):58-63.
doi: 10.1016/j.semcancer.2021.08.001. Epub 2021 Aug 8.

Pro-tumoral functions of tumor-associated macrophage EV-miRNA

Alexander Cocks  1 , Filippo Del Vecchio  1 , Verena Martinez-Rodriguez  2 , Monique Schukking  3 , Muller Fabbri  4
Affiliations
Review

Pro-tumoral functions of tumor-associated macrophage EV-miRNA

Alexander Cocks et al. Semin Cancer Biol. 2022 Nov.

Abstract

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are central players in cancer biology. Their relevance in cancer development, progression and resistance to therapy has been further emphasized by the discovery that they are important cargo component of extracellular vesicles (EVs), which represent a prominent means of inter-cellular communication within the tumor microenvironment (TME). This review article focuses on the interaction between cancer cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and in particular on the pro-tumoral phenotype elicited by EV-contained miRNAs released by TAMs and transferred to cancer cells. All main hallmarks of the malignant phenotype are affected by TAM-derived vesicular miRNAs, paving the road to the identification of such miRNAs as promising upcoming novel anti-cancer agents.

Keywords: Extracellular vesicle; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor-associated macrophage; microRNA.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors report no declarations of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. TAM EV-miRNAs promote tumor growth and survival.
EVs secreted by TAMs deliver miRNAs to cells of the TME. These specific miRNAs contribute to the following pro-tumoral processes: instructing cancer cells to be more proliferative, migratory and invasive, regulation of immune cells to enable immune escape for cancer cells, and increasing resistance of cancer cells to anti-cancer drug treatment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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