Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42446924›Full record

ArticleCancer research2026

IL-1α Expands SLC2A1highSPP1highIFNlow Myeloid Cells to Drive Immune Escape and Malignant Transformation of Precancers.

Hülya Taner, Wang Gong, Emily A Lanzel, Kala Chand Debnath, Felipe Nör, Kohei Okuyama, Yuesong Wu, Charisse A Ursin, Shajedul Islam, Xin Hu and 22 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cancer research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

32 authors.

Hülya Taner *Oral Health Sciences DDS/PhD Program, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-8928-9829
Wang Gong *Department of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-2116-3453
Emily A LanzelDepartment of Oral Pathology, Radiology, and Medicine, University of Iowa School of Dentistry, Iowa City, Iowa.ORCID 0000-0001-9742-6523
Kala Chand DebnathDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0001-5561-7778
Felipe NörDepartment of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-7429-5441
Kohei OkuyamaDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-5616-902X
Yuesong WuDepartment of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.ORCID 0009-0000-5397-1167
Charisse A UrsinDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0009-0002-4700-7181
Shajedul IslamDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-4939-1001
Xin HuDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-7403-8808
Yumin HeDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0009-0006-7352-8588
Zackary R FitzsimondsDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-6523-4911
Zaiye LiDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-1922-4237
Jung M KuczuraDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0009-0007-3758-3368
Sashider RajeshDepartment of Chemistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0009-0006-3621-1557
Andriana ManousidakiDepartment of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0001-9213-795X
Shuo FengDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0001-7111-8899
Miki LeeDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0003-2634-5341
Shadmehr DemehriDepartment of Dermatology and Krantz Family Center for Cancer Research, Center for Cancer Immunology and Cutaneous Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.ORCID 0000-0002-7913-2641
Haitao WenDepartment of Microbial Infection and Immunity, Ohio State University College of Medicine, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio.ORCID 0000-0002-6363-2748
Andrew G SikoraDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-8357-8435
Mark S ChambersDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0001-8901-6583
Jeffrey N MyersDepartment of Head and Neck Surgery, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0003-4767-3408
Peter J PolveriniDepartment of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0001-9832-967X
Jacques E NörOral Health Sciences DDS/PhD Program, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-4056-0235
Simon YoungKatz Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Dentistry, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0002-8198-7083
Thomas D WangDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0001-9182-9620
Jianwen QueDepartment of Medicine, Columbia University Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, New York, New York.ORCID 0000-0002-6540-6701
Jian HuDepartment of Cancer Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.ORCID 0000-0001-9760-2013
Yuying XieDepartment of Computational Mathematics, Science, and Engineering, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-1049-2219
James J MoonDepartment of Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0003-2238-2372
Yu Leo LeiOral Health Sciences DDS/PhD Program, University of Michigan School of Dentistry, Ann Arbor, Michigan.ORCID 0000-0002-9868-9824

Funding

Tumor Evolution and Metastasis ProgramP30CA016672 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Scott Kopetz · 1985 to 2026
$290.8M
Restoring the Immunogenicity of Head and Neck CancerR01DE026728 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Yu Leo Lei, James J. Moon · 2018 to 2026
$4.3M
Robust Immuno-prevention Strategies for High-Risk Oral Epithelial DysplasiaU01DE029255 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI BRENNER, JOHN CHADWICK, LEI, YU LEO · 2019 to 2021
$4.2M
Engineered Nano-formulations for STING ActivationR01DE031951 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Yu Leo Lei, James J. Moon · 2022 to 2026
$3.1M
New Engineering Strategy for Harnessing Immune System against Head and Neck CancerR01DE030691 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI LEI, YU LEO, MOON, JAMES J. · 2021 to 2025
$2.9M
Advancing On-Slide and Optical Biopsy Tools to Detect High-Risk Oral PremalignancyU01DE033330 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF TX MD ANDERSON CAN CTR · PI Steven Bennett Chinn, Yu Leo Lei · 2023 to 2026
$2.7M
Intercepting the Evolution of Pro-Tumoral Myeloid Cells During the Initiation of Oral CancerF31DE033922 · NIDCR · UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN AT ANN ARBOR · PI Hulya Taner · 2024 to 2026
$166k
National Institutes of Health (NIH) F31 DE033922National Institutes of Health (NIH) P30 CA016672National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 DE026728National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 DE030691National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 DE031951National Institutes of Health (NIH) U01 DE029255National Institutes of Health (NIH) U01 DE033330NCI NIH HHS P30 CA016672NIDCR NIH HHS F31 DE033922NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE026728NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE030691NIDCR NIH HHS R01 DE031951NIDCR NIH HHS U01 DE029255NIDCR NIH HHS U01 DE033330
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) are preceded by potentially malignant precursor lesions, highlighting the need for strategies to discern which precancerous lesions harbor a high risk for malignant transformation. In this study, we developed a unique genetically engineered mouse model by inducing oral epithelial cell-specific amplification of Sox2, which recapitulates the malignant transformation of epithelial dysplasia to HNSCC with high histologic and phenotypic resemblance to human tumors. SOX2 promoted the release of IL-1α and CCL2, expanding inflammatory monocytes. The recruited myeloid cells exhibited a distinct, early, high-risk signature of high levels of IL-1α, solute carrier family 2 member 1 (SLC2A1), secreted phosphoprotein 1 (SPP1), and low levels of type I interferon (IFN-I) targets, and intralesional SLC2A1high myeloid cells were more suppressive than their SLC2A1low counterparts. Brief priming of myeloid cells with IL-1α desensitized them to stimulator of IFN genes (STING) agonists and enhanced the suppressive effects of myeloid-derived suppressor cells on T-cell activation. Mechanistically, IL-1 activation repressed the expression of DHHC3/7 enzymes that palmitoylate STING. Early blockade of IL-1 signaling using pharmacologic and genetic approaches similarly reduced the most suppressive subsets of myeloid cells, promoted immune surveillance against the progression of epithelial dysplasia, and extended survival. This work establishes a central high-risk myeloid cell transcriptomic program, characterized by elevated levels of IL-1α, SLC2A1, and SPP1, that leads to irreversible immune escape upon transformation of precancerous epithelial lesions. SIGNIFICANCE: SLC2A1highSPP1highIFNlow myeloid cells are a central feature of high-risk epithelial premalignancy that are induced by SOX2 activity in epithelial cells and can be inhibited by targeting IL-1 signaling to inhibit tumorigenesis.

Indexed as

Cell Transformation, NeoplasticInterleukin-1alphaMyeloid CellsPrecancerous ConditionsSOXB1 Transcription FactorsTumor EscapeAnimalsHumansMiceInterleukin-1alphaSOXB1 Transcription Factors

Identifiers

PMID42446924
PMCPMC13543150

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.