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ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Macrophages are an important component of the tumour immune microenvironment (TME) and can promote tumour growth and metastasis. Macrophage-secreted chemokine-ligand-23
(CCL23) induces ovarian cancer cell migration via chemokine-receptor 1 (CCR1). However, the effect of CCL23 on other immune cells in the TME is unknown. METHODS CCL23 levels were measured by
ELISA. The expression of surface markers in exhaustion assays was quantified by flow cytometry. Signalling pathways were identified by phosphokinase array and validated by western blot.
RESULTS Ascites from patients with high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSC) contain high levels of CCL23. Similarly, significantly higher CCL23 levels were found in plasma from HGSC patients
compared to healthy individuals. RNA-seq analysis of ovarian cancer tissues from TCGA showed that expression of CCL23 correlated with the presence of macrophages. In tissues with high levels
of CCL23 and macrophage content, the fraction of CD8 + T cells expressing exhaustion markers CTLA-4 and PD-1 were significantly higher compared to low-level CCL23 tissues. In vitro, CCL23
induced upregulation of immune checkpoint proteins on CD8 + T cells, including CTLA-4, TIGIT, TIM-3 and LAG-3 via phosphorylation of GSK3β in CD8 + T cells. CONCLUSIONS Our data suggest that
CCL23 produced by macrophages contributes to the immune-suppressive TME in ovarian cancer by inducing an exhausted T-cell phenotype. Access through your institution Buy or subscribe This is
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HYPERINFLAMMATORY REPOLARISATION OF OVARIAN CANCER PATIENT MACROPHAGES BY ANTI-TUMOUR IGE ANTIBODY, MOV18, RESTRICTS AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE MACROPHAGE:TREG CELL INTERACTION Article Open access
10 April 2025 SINGLE-CELL ANALYSES IMPLICATE ASCITES IN REMODELING THE ECOSYSTEMS OF PRIMARY AND METASTATIC TUMORS IN OVARIAN CANCER Article Open access 24 July 2023 FGL2 PROMOTES TUMOUR
GROWTH AND ATTENUATES INFILTRATION OF ACTIVATED IMMUNE CELLS IN MELANOMA AND OVARIAN CANCER MODELS Article Open access 08 January 2024 DATA AVAILABILITY RNA-seq data for patients with
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ovarian cancer by single-cell transcriptomics. Cell Rep. 2021;35:109165. Article CAS PubMed Google Scholar Download references FUNDING This work was supported by the Mary Lake Polan
Gynecologic Oncology Endowment for Research (OD), the Vivian Scott Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology (OD). AUTHOR INFORMATION AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * Department of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Stanford Women’s Cancer Center, Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA, USA Kalika Kamat, Venkatesh Krishnan & Oliver Dorigo Authors *
Kalika Kamat View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Venkatesh Krishnan View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed
Google Scholar * Oliver Dorigo View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS KK, VK and OD designed experiments; KK carried out and
analyzed experiments; KK, VK and OD prepared the figures and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript; all authors edited the manuscript; VK and OD provided supervision. CORRESPONDING
AUTHOR Correspondence to Oliver Dorigo. ETHICS DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS KK and VK have no competing interests. OD has served on Advisory Boards for Merck, Eisai, PACT, GSK, IMV,
Genentech. OD received funding for clinical research from AstraZeneca, IMV, Millenium, Pharmamar, Genentech, Bioeclipse. ETHICS APPROVAL AND CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE Patient samples were
collected under an approved Institutional Review Board (IRB) protocol at Stanford University and the University of Pennsylvania. Informed consent for healthy plasma was obtained by
Innovative Research (Novi, MI). This study was performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. CONSENT TO PUBLISH Not applicable. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION PUBLISHER’S NOTE Springer
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O. Macrophage-derived CCL23 upregulates expression of T-cell exhaustion markers in ovarian cancer. _Br J Cancer_ 127, 1026–1033 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-022-01887-3 Download
citation * Received: 15 December 2021 * Revised: 16 May 2022 * Accepted: 07 June 2022 * Published: 24 June 2022 * Issue Date: 05 October 2022 * DOI:
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