Cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma induces a macrophage immunosuppressive phenotype through IL-10 secretion. Open Access

• PCDLBCL-LT polarizes macrophages toward an immunosuppressive phenotype and function through a pivotal IL-10 secretion

• Macrophages promote tumor B-cell growth and protect them against doxorubicin-induced cell death in vitro

Primary cutaneous diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, leg type (PCDLBCL-LT) is a rare subset of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) exhibiting genetic features shared with LBCL of immune-privileged sites (notably the MYD88L265P mutation) and enriched in tumor associated macrophages (TAM) expressing M2 markers. Using a unique PCDLBCL-LT cell line (ARSI cell line) developed in our institute, we sought to mechanistically decipher the interplay between lymphoma cells and macrophages. We demonstrate that ARSI cells induce phenotypic, transcriptional and functional changes in macrophages obtained from primary monocytes and THP-1 cell line. These changes do not require cell-cell contact, and proteome analysis of ARSI secretome reveals high concentration of several cytokines and chemokines known to affect macrophages, including IL-10. We then demonstrate that IL-10/IL-10RA interaction blockade inhibits macrophage polarization induced by tumor cells. These findings are reproduced when macrophages are co-cultured with PCDLBCL-LT cells from different patient-derived xenografts. However, among 4 other DLBCL cell lines only the MYD88-mutated OCI-Ly3 cell line exhibits similar effects, which highlights the variability of macrophage interplays and led us to hypothesize that macrophage shaping, beyond the cutaneous localization, may rely on specific genetics of tumor cells. Finally, we reveal that macrophages enhance tumor cell proliferation and promote resistance to doxorubicin in co-culture. In conclusion, these results confirm the robustness of this model to study lymphoma cell and macrophage interplays, underline the critical role of IL-10 in lymphoma microenvironment modeling, and may contribute to better define its specificities in an era of rising microenvironment-targeted therapies.