Analysis of blood myelomonocytic cells from RCC patients

Myelomonocytic cells (i.e., monocytes or macrophages) play a key role in tumor progression as revealed by numerous mice tumor model studies. However, their contribution in human tumor progression is not well-studied. Using Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC) as a model for human cancer, we performed a transcriptomal profiling of blood monocytes from RCC patients to investigate the contribution of these cells in cancer progression. As compared to monocytes from healthy donors (Mo), transcriptome analysis of monocytes from RCC patients (RCC-Mo) showed a distinct gene expression signature consisting of cytokines, chemokines and various inflammation-related genes. Validation of these genes by qPCR as well as other functional assays indicated RCC-Mo possess an inflammatory and tumor promoting phenotype. Blood monocytes from RCC patients (with early or metastatic disease) or healthy donors (controls) were isolated, and then differential gene expression was detected with Limma.