inflammatory microenvironment in MDS

• Published in: Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS Vol. 72; no. 10; pp. 1959 - 1966
• Main Authors: Yang, Lili, Qian, Yaqin, Eksioglu, Erika, Epling-Burnette, Pearlie K, Wei, Sheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel Springer-Verlag 01.05.2015; Springer Basel; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: apoptosis; Biochemistry; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Bone marrow; Cell Biology; Cell growth; Cellular biology; Cellular Microenvironment - physiology; Clonal Evolution - physiology; Cytokines; Cytokines - metabolism; epigenetics; hematopoietic stem cells; Hematopoietic Stem Cells - physiology; Humans; Immune system; Immunity, Innate - immunology; Inflammation - immunology; Leukemia; Life Sciences; Lymphocytes; mast cells; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - genetics; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - immunology; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - physiopathology; Pathology; pathophysiology; patients; plasma cells; Review; Signal Transduction - immunology; Stem cells; Stromal Cells - physiology; Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS); Immunosuppression; Stromal cells; Innate immunity; Inflammation; Microenvironment; Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSC)
• ISSN: 1420-682X; 1420-9071
• DOI: 10.1007/s00018-015-1846-x

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a collection of pre-malignancies characterized by impaired proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and a tendency to evolve into leukemia. Among MDS’s pathogenic mechanisms are genetic, epigenetic, apoptotic, differentiation, and cytokine milieu abnormalities. Inflammatory changes are a prominent morphologic feature in some cases, with increased populations of plasma cells, mast cells, and lymphocytes in bone marrow aspirates. Accumulating evidence suggests that the bone marrow microenvironment contributes to MDS disease pathology, with microenvironment alterations and abnormality preceding, and facilitating clonal evolution in MDS patients. In this review, we focus on the inflammatory changes involved in the pathology of MDS, with an emphasis on immune dysfunction, stromal microenvironment, and cytokine imbalance in the microenvironment as well as activation of innate immune signaling in MDS patients. A better understanding of the mechanism of MDS pathophysiology will be beneficial to the development of molecular-targeted therapies in the future.