Immunosuppressive myeloid cells induce mesenchymal-like breast cancer stem cells by a membrane-bound TGF-β1-dependent mechanism [RNA-seq]

Recent evidence suggests that certain subsets may also influence tumor heterogeneity and cellular plasticity. However, their role in cancer stem cell promotion and plasticity and the underlying molecular mechanisms have yet to be deciphered.

Here we demonstrate that human immunosuppressive myeloid cells, generated in vitro or isolated from patients with breast cancer, induce cancer stem-like cells exhibiting mesenchymal features. This cancer-stemness-inducing function was restricted to CD52-expressing myeloid subset. Single cell transcriptomic- and surface proteome-based interactome analyses identify membrane-bound TGF-β1 as a potential mediator of this effect.