IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-MARCKS Drives Immunosuppressive Signaling in Tumor-Associated Macrophages to Promote Lung Cancer Progression

MARCKS Drives Immunosuppressive Signaling in Tumor-Associated Macrophages to Promote Lung Cancer Progression

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The speaker, an undergraduate researcher at UC Davis, presented a study on how MARCKS influences tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) in lung adenocarcinoma. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and CellChat analysis, the team found MARCKS is highly expressed in macrophages, as well as in cancer cells and fibroblasts, but is especially abundant in macrophages. MARCKS-positive TAMs showed gene enrichment for pro-tumor, immunosuppressive pathways, including IL-10 signaling, efferocytosis, CD163-associated M2-like polarization, CCR5-related migration/proliferation, and negative regulation of T-cell proliferation. Cell communication analysis showed these TAMs had stronger incoming and outgoing signaling than MARCKS-negative cells, especially with CD8 T cells, Tregs, cancer cells, and fibroblasts. Key ligands included TGF-beta, SPP1, and MIF, suggesting enhanced immunosuppression, metastasis, and stromal crosstalk. Overall, MARCKS appears to promote M2-like TAM function and may be a potential therapeutic target in lung cancer.

Meta Tag

Date April 18, 2026 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM

Room 156

Session Tumor and Immune Cell Crosstalk

Speaker Jenna Berton

Track Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

Year 2026

Keywords

MARCKS

tumor-associated macrophages

lung adenocarcinoma

single-cell RNA sequencing

immunosuppression

April 18, 2026 8:30 AM - 8:45 AM

156

Tumor and Immune Cell Crosstalk

Jenna Berton

Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microenvironment (TIME)

2026