Cancer researchJournal Article
15 Nov 2024
Galectin-9 (Gal-9) is a multifaceted regulator of various pathophysiologic processes that exerts positive or negative effects in a context-dependent manner. In this study, we elucidated the distinctive functional properties of Gal-9 on myeloid cells within the brain tumor microenvironment (TME).
Gal-9-expressing cells were abundant at the hypoxic tumor edge in the tumor-bearing ipsilateral hemisphere compared with the contralateral hemisphere in an intracranial mouse brain tumor model. Gal-9 was highly expressed in microglia and macrophages in tumor-infiltrating cells.
In primary glia, both the expression and secretion of Gal-9 were influenced by tumors. Analysis of a human glioblastoma bulk RNA sequencing dataset and a single-cell RNA sequencing dataset from a murine glioma model revealed a correlation between Gal-9 expression and glial cell activation.
Notably, the Gal-9high microglial subset was functionally distinct from the Gal-9neg/low subset in the brain TME.
Gal-9high microglia exhibited properties of inflammatory activation and higher rates of cell death, whereas Gal-9neg/low microglia displayed a superior phagocytic ability against brain tumor cells.
Blockade of Gal-9 suppressed tumor growth and altered the activity of glial and T cells in a mouse glioma model. Additionally, glial Gal-9 expression was regulated by hypoxia-inducible factor-2α in the hypoxic brain TME.
Myeloid-specific hypoxia-inducible factor-2α deficiency led to attenuated tumor progression. Together, these findings reveal that Gal-9 on myeloid cells is an immunoregulator and putative therapeutic target in brain tumors.
Significance: Galectin-9 serves as an immune checkpoint molecule that modulates the functional properties of microglia in the brain tumor microenvironment and could potentially be targeted to effectively treat brain tumors.
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