| First Author | Chen S | Year | 2022 |
| Journal | Cell Metab | Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 11 | Pages | 1843-1859.e11 |
| PubMed ID | 36103895 | Mgi Jnum | J:359995 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:7380181 | Doi | 10.1016/j.cmet.2022.08.016 |
| Citation | Chen S, et al. (2022) Tumor-associated macrophages are shaped by intratumoral high potassium via Kir2.1. Cell Metab 34(11):1843-1859.e11 |
| abstractText | The tumor microenvironment (TME) is a unique niche governed by constant crosstalk within and across all intratumoral cellular compartments. In particular, intratumoral high potassium (K(+)) has shown immune-suppressive potency on T cells. However, as a pan-cancer characteristic associated with local necrosis, the impact of this ionic disturbance on innate immunity is unknown. Here, we reveal that intratumoral high K(+) suppresses the anti-tumor capacity of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). We identify the inwardly rectifying K(+) channel Kir2.1 as a central modulator of TAM functional polarization in high K(+) TME, and its conditional depletion repolarizes TAMs toward an anti-tumor state, sequentially boosting local anti-tumor immunity. Kir2.1 deficiency disturbs the electrochemically dependent glutamine uptake, engendering TAM metabolic reprogramming from oxidative phosphorylation toward glycolysis. Kir2.1 blockade attenuates both murine tumor- and patient-derived xenograft growth. Collectively, our findings reveal Kir2.1 as a determinant and potential therapeutic target for regaining the anti-tumor capacity of TAMs within ionic-imbalanced TME. |
