Extracellular Vesicles Obtained From Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells Cultured Under Intermittent Hypoxia Induce M2 Macrophage Polarization via miR-20a-5p Delivery

oleh: Yuanling Liu MD, Minzhen Lu MSc, Feng Liu PhD, Gang Xu PhD, Congrui Feng MSc, Yuluo Chen MSc, Danyan Cai MSc, Huake Sun MSc, Yanjun Zeng MD, Jian Xie MSc, Wei Ma PhD, Xinglin Gao PhD

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: SAGE Publishing 2024-02-01

Deskripsi

Introduction: Intermittent hypoxia (IH), an important feature of obstructive sleep apnea, enhances the function of lung cancer cell-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) to exacerbate the immunosuppressive properties of macrophages. Herein, we investigated the effects of EVs obtained from lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured under IH on macrophage polarization. Methods: The M1-type and M2-type tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in tissues from lung adenocarcinoma cases with (n = 10) or without (n = 12) OSA were assessed by immunohistochemical studies. EVs obtained from A549 cells grown under normoxia (EV-NA) or IH (EV-IH) were isolated and cocultured with macrophages. MicroRNA sequencing was used to determine discrepant miRNAs in EVs, selecting miR-20a-5p for subsequent experiments. Next, reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction, flow cytometry, luciferase reporter assay, western blotting assay, and gain- and loss-of-function assays were used to explore the mechanism by which miR-20a-5p promotes M2 macrophage polarization by targeting phosphatase and Tensin homolog gene (PTEN). Results: Stromal M2 TAMs were highly abundant in patients with lung adenocarcinoma and obstructive sleep apnea. Macrophages treated with EV-IH that highly expressed miR-20a-5p showed the M2 phenotype. Luciferase reporter assay confirmed PTEN as a target of miR-20a-5p. Transfection of miR-20a-5p mimics decreased PTEN expression, upregulated M2 polarization markers, and promoted Akt phosphorylation in macrophages, while transfection with a miR-20a-5p inhibitor had the opposite effects. Furthermore, miR-20a-5p inhibition in macrophages eliminated the PTEN downregulation, Akt phosphorylation, and upregulation of M2 polarization markers induced by EV-IH transfection. Conclusion: These findings indicate that EVs obtained from lung adenocarcinoma cells cultured under IH deliver miR-20a-5p to promote M2 macrophage polarization by targeting PTEN.