Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are an important means by which tumor cells evade immunosurveillance. Here, we set out to determine how MDSCs are recruited to tumors in genetically engineered mouse cancer models. Expression of oncogenic and constitutively active SmoM2, a key hedgehog-signaling regulatory protein, revealed that MDSC recruitment to the tumor microenvironment is mediated by the CCL2/CCR2 axis in a TGFβ dependent fashion.
Keywords: CCL2; MDSC; basal cell carcinoma; cancer; hedgehog; immune suppression; mouse models; rhabdomyosarcoma; smoothened; tumor microenvironment.