VSIG4-expressing tumor-associated macrophages impair anti-tumor immunity

Abstract

VSIG4, a newly identified co-inhibitory molecule belonging to the B7-related family, is exclusively expressed on tissue-resident macrophages and is involved in the suppression of T cell proliferation and cytokine production. We sought to characterize the role of VSIG4 in anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment, focusing on VSIG4-expressing tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). We found that VSIG4-expressing TAMs negatively regulated antigen-specific T cell proliferation and cytokine production through direct inhibition via cell cycle arrest, but not apoptosis, as well as through their arginase 1 activity. Furthermore, VSIG4-expressing TAMs suppress tumor-specific CD8⁺ T cell cytotoxicity. Therefore, our results suggest that VSIG4-expressing TAMs could be a negative cellular regulator of anti-tumor immunity in the tumor microenvironment.

Keywords: Anti-tumor T cell immunity; Tumor microenvironment; Tumor-associated macrophages; VSIG4.