Epigenetics shaping Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Functions in Inflammation and Cancer
Esteban Ballestar
Josep Carreras Research Institute (IJC)
Monocytes represent a large pool of circulating precursors that can migrate to tissues and differentiate into macrophages, the immune system's scavengers, or dendritic cells (DCs), which are antigen-presenting cells. The immunological properties of macrophages and DCs depend heavily on the physical and biochemical features of the various niches to which they migrate and involve epigenetic control, including changes in DNA methylation. Various cytokines, hormones, and other molecules released by cells can render macrophages and DCs pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory (or tolerogenic). In solid cancers, the hypoxic conditions of the tumor microenvironment can reprogram macrophages, giving rise to distinctive sets of features. In this lecture, I will discuss our work investigating the diverse effects of extracellular factors in shaping the properties of macrophages and DCs, the interplay between these environmental cues, transcription factors, and the epigenetic machinery, and the impact on different pathological contexts, including inflamed compartments and the tumor microenvironment.