Pericyte signaling via soluble guanylate cyclase shapes the vascular niche and microenvironment of tumors
Pericyte signaling via soluble guanylate cyclase shapes the vascular niche and microenvironment of tumors | |
Author | Zhu, J; Yang, W; Ma, JY; He, H; Liu, Z; Zhu, XL; He, XY; He, J; Chen, Z; Jin, XL; Wang, XH; He, KW; Wei, W; Hu, JH |
Journal | EMBO JOURNAL |
Pub Year | 2024 |
Type | |
Abstract | Pericytes and endothelial cells (ECs) constitute the fundamental components of blood vessels. While the role of ECs in tumor angiogenesis and the tumor microenvironment is well appreciated, pericyte function in tumors remains underexplored. In this study, we used pericyte-specific deletion of the nitric oxide (NO) receptor, soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), to investigate via single-cell RNA sequencing how pericytes influence the vascular niche and the tumor microenvironment. Our findings demonstrate that pericyte sGC deletion disrupts EC-pericyte interactions, impairing Notch-mediated intercellular communication and triggering extensive transcriptomic reprogramming in both pericytes and ECs. These changes further extended their influence to neighboring cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) through paracrine signaling, collectively suppressing tumor growth. Inhibition of pericyte sGC has minimal impact on quiescent vessels but significantly increases the vulnerability of angiogenic tumor vessels to conventional anti-angiogenic therapy. In conclusion, our findings elucidate the role of pericytes in shaping the tumor vascular niche and tumor microenvironment and support pericyte sGC targeting as a promising strategy for improving anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer treatment. The precise role and therapeutic targeting potential of pericytes in tumor growth remains insufficiently explored. By selectively disrupting soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) signaling in pericytes, this study reveals their impact on the vascular niche and tumor microenvironment.Pericyte-specific deletion of sGC results in detachment of pericytes from the endothelium within tumors. Pericyte sGC deletion induces transcriptome reprogramming in both pericytes and ECs. Pericytes and neighboring endothelial cells (ECs) within the vascular niche collectively regulate cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) within tumors. Inhibition of pericyte sGC enhances the susceptibility of tumor blood vessels to anti-angiogenic therapy. Pericyte-specific inhibition of nitric oxide receptor increases the vulnerability of angiogenic tumor vessels to anti-angiogenic therapy. |
Issue | 43 |
Volume | 43 |
SCI | 9.4 |