Functional and molecular characterization of macrophage-tumor cell communication

Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is increasingly appreciated that the tumor stroma, consistent of a heterogeneous population of non-neoplastic host cells, is an essential part of cancer initiation, growth and progression. Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) can influence cancer progression and metastasis, but the responsible mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we focus on the involvement of bone-marrow derived macrophages (BM-MΦ) and two of their major chemotactic pathways (CX3CR1-CX3CL1 and CCR2-CCL2 axis) in cancer proliferation and migration. We demonstrate that conditioned medium…