Mast cells mediate malignant pleural effusion formation
Anastasios D. Giannou, … , Theodora Agalioti, Georgios T. Stathopoulos
Anastasios D. Giannou, … , Theodora Agalioti, Georgios T. Stathopoulos
Published April 27, 2015
Citation Information: J Clin Invest. 2015;125(6):2317-2334. https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI79840.
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Research Article Oncology

Mast cells mediate malignant pleural effusion formation

Abstract

Mast cells (MCs) have been identified in various tumors; however, the role of these cells in tumorigenesis remains controversial. Here, we quantified MCs in human and murine malignant pleural effusions (MPEs) and evaluated the fate and function of these cells in MPE development. Evaluation of murine MPE-competent lung and colon adenocarcinomas revealed that these tumors actively attract and subsequently degranulate MCs in the pleural space by elaborating CCL2 and osteopontin. MCs were required for effusion development, as MPEs did not form in mice lacking MCs, and pleural infusion of MCs with MPE-incompetent cells promoted MPE formation. Once homed to the pleural space, MCs released tryptase AB1 and IL-1β, which in turn induced pleural vasculature leakiness and triggered NF-κB activation in pleural tumor cells, thereby fostering pleural fluid accumulation and tumor growth. Evaluation of human effusions revealed that MCs are elevated in MPEs compared with benign effusions. Moreover, MC abundance correlated with MPE formation in a human cancer cell–induced effusion model. Treatment of mice with the c-KIT inhibitor imatinib mesylate limited effusion precipitation by mouse and human adenocarcinoma cells. Together, the results of this study indicate that MCs are required for MPE formation and suggest that MC-dependent effusion formation is therapeutically addressable.

Authors

Anastasios D. Giannou, Antonia Marazioti, Magda Spella, Nikolaos I. Kanellakis, Hara Apostolopoulou, Ioannis Psallidas, Zeljko M. Prijovich, Malamati Vreka, Dimitra E. Zazara, Ioannis Lilis, Vassilios Papaleonidopoulos, Chrysoula A. Kairi, Alexandra L. Patmanidi, Ioanna Giopanou, Nikolitsa Spiropoulou, Vaggelis Harokopos, Vassilis Aidinis, Dionisios Spyratos, Stamatia Teliousi, Helen Papadaki, Stavros Taraviras, Linda A. Snyder, Oliver Eickelberg, Dimitrios Kardamakis, Yoichiro Iwakura, Thorsten B. Feyerabend, Hans-Reimer Rodewald, Ioannis Kalomenidis, Timothy S. Blackwell, Theodora Agalioti, Georgios T. Stathopoulos

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Figure 5

Dynamic MC trafficking to the pleural space.

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Dynamic MC trafficking to the pleural space. (A) Bioluminescence of C57B...
(A) Bioluminescence of C57BL/6 chimeras engrafted with c-KitWsh BM that received 1.5 × 105 pleural B16F10 (n = 9), LLC (n = 9), or MC38 (n = 11) tumor cells and same-day i.v. 5 × 105 CAG-luc-EGFP BMMCs at day 30 after transplant. Note the increased chest signal in mice with adenocarcinoma-induced MPEs (arrows). (B) Pleural tumor sections (with magnified inlays) from chimeras as in (A) treated with pleural tumor cells followed by i.v. CAG-EGFP BMMCs (n = 5/group). Note GFP+ BMMCs in adenocarcinomas 12 days later (arrows). (C) Bioluminescence of c-KitWsh mice that received 8 x 105 s.c. CAG-luc-EGFP BMMCs followed by next-day pleural injections of PBS (n = 6) or B16F10 (n = 6), LLC (n = 7), or MC38 (n = 8) tumor cells. Note the increased chest signal in mice with adenocarcinomas 13 days later (arrows). Data presented as data points, mean ± SD. Numbers in boxes indicate sample size. NS, P > 0.05; **P < 0.01; and ***P < 0.001, by 1-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post hoc tests.