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Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) Suppress T-Cell Proliferation Less Than Mature Neutrophils in Blood and Bone Marrow From Multiple Myeloma Patients

Westerlund, Julia LU ; Askman, Sandra LU ; Pettersson, Åsa LU ; Wichert, Stina LU orcid ; Hellmark, Thomas LU orcid ; Johansson, Åsa C M LU and Hansson, Markus (2026) In Journal of Immunology Research 2026.
Abstract

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, characterized by a clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in bone marrow. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the premalignant condition of MM. The tumor microenvironment is thought to influence the progression from premalignant conditions. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogenous group of different cellular subsets with myeloid origin, characterized by their ability to inhibit T-cell responses. MDSC are thought to play an important immunoregulatory role in different diseases, and in many cancers their levels seem to correlate with a poor prognosis. There are three different subsets, the neutrophil-like... (More)

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, characterized by a clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in bone marrow. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the premalignant condition of MM. The tumor microenvironment is thought to influence the progression from premalignant conditions. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogenous group of different cellular subsets with myeloid origin, characterized by their ability to inhibit T-cell responses. MDSC are thought to play an important immunoregulatory role in different diseases, and in many cancers their levels seem to correlate with a poor prognosis. There are three different subsets, the neutrophil-like polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSC, the monocyte-like (M)-MDSC, and the immature early (e)MDSC. In this study, we investigate the levels and functions of all MDSC subsets in the bone marrow of both MGUS and MM patients and compare it to blood MDSC. We found that MDSC levels are not increased in neither the blood nor bone marrow of MGUS or MM patients, and they lack strong T-cell suppressive abilities. Blood PMN-MDSC seems to have a small inhibitory effect, but mature neutrophils were more suppressive. Interestingly, eMDSC levels were decreased in the blood of MM patients. Our data indicate that MDSC are not key players in the pathogenesis of MM, but that mature neutrophils may be more important as they have a stronger immunoregulatory effect.

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organization
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type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Humans, Multiple Myeloma/immunology, Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells/immunology, Neutrophils/immunology, T-Lymphocytes/immunology, Aged, Cell Proliferation, Male, Female, Middle Aged, Bone Marrow/immunology, Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance/immunology, Lymphocyte Activation/immunology, Tumor Microenvironment/immunology, Aged, 80 and over
in
Journal of Immunology Research
volume
2026
article number
9232540
publisher
Hindawi Limited
external identifiers
  • pmid:41503515
ISSN
2314-7156
DOI
10.1155/jimr/9232540
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Copyright © 2026 Julia Westerlund et al. Journal of Immunology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
id
32d8a19f-71b6-4335-8116-05d76295e244
date added to LUP
2026-01-20 12:54:07
date last changed
2026-01-20 16:25:09
@article{32d8a19f-71b6-4335-8116-05d76295e244,
  abstract     = {{<p>Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, characterized by a clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in bone marrow. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the premalignant condition of MM. The tumor microenvironment is thought to influence the progression from premalignant conditions. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogenous group of different cellular subsets with myeloid origin, characterized by their ability to inhibit T-cell responses. MDSC are thought to play an important immunoregulatory role in different diseases, and in many cancers their levels seem to correlate with a poor prognosis. There are three different subsets, the neutrophil-like polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSC, the monocyte-like (M)-MDSC, and the immature early (e)MDSC. In this study, we investigate the levels and functions of all MDSC subsets in the bone marrow of both MGUS and MM patients and compare it to blood MDSC. We found that MDSC levels are not increased in neither the blood nor bone marrow of MGUS or MM patients, and they lack strong T-cell suppressive abilities. Blood PMN-MDSC seems to have a small inhibitory effect, but mature neutrophils were more suppressive. Interestingly, eMDSC levels were decreased in the blood of MM patients. Our data indicate that MDSC are not key players in the pathogenesis of MM, but that mature neutrophils may be more important as they have a stronger immunoregulatory effect.</p>}},
  author       = {{Westerlund, Julia and Askman, Sandra and Pettersson, Åsa and Wichert, Stina and Hellmark, Thomas and Johansson, Åsa C M and Hansson, Markus}},
  issn         = {{2314-7156}},
  keywords     = {{Humans; Multiple Myeloma/immunology; Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells/immunology; Neutrophils/immunology; T-Lymphocytes/immunology; Aged; Cell Proliferation; Male; Female; Middle Aged; Bone Marrow/immunology; Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance/immunology; Lymphocyte Activation/immunology; Tumor Microenvironment/immunology; Aged, 80 and over}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  publisher    = {{Hindawi Limited}},
  series       = {{Journal of Immunology Research}},
  title        = {{Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) Suppress T-Cell Proliferation Less Than Mature Neutrophils in Blood and Bone Marrow From Multiple Myeloma Patients}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/jimr/9232540}},
  doi          = {{10.1155/jimr/9232540}},
  volume       = {{2026}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}