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Protein Kinase A Catalytic Subunit Is a Molecular Switch that Promotes the Pro-tumoral Function of Macrophages

Protein Kinase A Catalytic Subunit Is a Molecular Switch that Promotes the Pro-tumoral Function of Macrophages

저자

Na YR, Kwon JW, Kim DY, Chung H, Song J, Jung D, Quan H, Kim D, Kim JS, Ju YW, Han W, Ryu HS, Lee YS, Hong JJ, Seok SH (교신저자)

저널 정보

Cell Reports

출간연도

2021

As current therapies benefit only a minority of cancer patients, additional therapeutic targets are needed. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) have attracted attention for improving therapeutic responses, yet regulatory strategies remain elusive. Here, we show that the protein kinase A catalytic subunit (PKA-C) acts as a molecular switch, inducing a pro-tumoral immunosuppressive macrophage phenotype within tumors. In human and murine breast cancer, overactivated PKA in TAMs creates a detrimental microenvironment for cancer progression by inducing vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and macrophage-derived arginase 1 (ARG1) expression. Macrophages with genetic deletion of PKA-C are prone to be pro-inflammatory, suggesting a possible immunotherapeutic target. Delivery of liposomal PKA inhibitor facilitates tumor regression and abrogates pro-tumoral TAM functions in mice. The therapeutic effect of targeting PKA is pronounced when combined with αCTLA-4 antibody, increasing cluster of differentiation 8 (CD8)+GranzymeB+ T cells by about 60-fold. Our findings demonstrate critical roles of TAM PKA-C in tumor progression and suggest that targeting PKA-C efficiently augments cancer treatment responses.