M2-like macrophages in the injured-kidney cortex promoted kidney cancer progression via the direct pro-tumor effect and the inhibition of CD8 T cell infiltration

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the effect of M2-like macrophages in the injured kidney on kidney cancer progression. As an acute kidney injury to chronic kidney disease model, we used unilateral ischemia-reperfusion injury (uIRI). And we inoculated RenCa cells, which are murine kidney cancer cell line, into renal subcapsule 14 days after uIRI (uIRI-Can) and compared uIRI-Can to RenCa cells inoculated into sham-operated renal subcapsule (Sham-Can) 20 days after inoculation. To identify gene characteristics of M2-like macrophages that are commonly detected both in the uIRI kidney cortex and uIRI-Can, we sorted Ly6Clow macrophages from 4 groups, uIRI kidney cortex, sham kidney cortex, uIRI-Can, and Sham-Can, and conducted RNA-Seq. This study revealed the characteristic gene expression of M2-like macrophages which were commonly detected in the injured kidney cortex and kidney cancer progressed on the injured kidney. And this could be a future therapeutic target of macrophage-targeted therapy. Overall design: Using cell sorter, Ly6Clow macrophages were sorted from uIRI-Can, Sham-Can, uIRI kidney cortex, and sham kidney cortex. And total RNA-seq was conducted to detect the feature of gene expression of uIRI-Can and uIRI kidney cortex compared to Sham-Can and sham kidney cortex, respectively.