| First Author | Han Y | Year | 2018 |
| Journal | Cell | Volume | 173 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 634-648.e12 |
| PubMed ID | 29606356 | Mgi Jnum | J:261122 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6153418 | Doi | 10.1016/j.cell.2018.02.061 |
| Citation | Han Y, et al. (2018) Tumor-Induced Generation of Splenic Erythroblast-like Ter-Cells Promotes Tumor Progression. Cell 173(3):634-648.e12 |
| abstractText | Identifying tumor-induced leukocyte subsets and their derived circulating factors has been instrumental in understanding cancer as a systemic disease. Nevertheless, how primary tumor-induced non-leukocyte populations in distal organs contribute to systemic spread remains poorly defined. Here, we report one population of tumor-inducible, erythroblast-like cells (Ter-cells) deriving from megakaryocyte-erythroid progenitor cells with a unique Ter-119(+)CD45(-)CD71(+) phenotype. Ter-cells are enriched in the enlarged spleen of hosts bearing advanced tumors and facilitate tumor progression by secreting neurotrophic factor artemin into the blood. Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) and Smad3 activation are important in Ter-cell generation. In vivo blockade of Ter-cell-derived artemin inhibits hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) growth, and artemin deficiency abolishes Ter-cells'' tumor-promoting ability. We confirm the presence of splenic artemin-positive Ter-cells in human HCC patients and show that significantly elevated serum artemin correlates with poor prognosis. We propose that Ter-cells and the secreted artemin play important roles in cancer progression with prognostic and therapeutic implications. |
