AUTHOR=Neyrinck-Leglantier Déborah , Lesage Julien , Blacher Silvia , Bonnomet Arnaud , Hunziker Walter , Noël Agnès , Dormoy Valérian , Nawrocki-Raby Béatrice , Gilles Christine , Polette Myriam TITLE=ZO-1 Intracellular Localization Organizes Immune Response in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology VOLUME=9 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2021.749364 DOI=10.3389/fcell.2021.749364 ISSN=2296-634X ABSTRACT=

Delocalization of zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) from tight junctions plays a substantial role in epithelial cell plasticity observed during tumor progression. In vitro, we reported an impact of ZO-1 cyto-nuclear content in modulating the secretion of several pro-inflammatory chemokines. In vivo, we demonstrated that it promotes the recruitment of immune cells in mouse ear sponge assays. Examining lung cancers, we showed that a high density of CD8 cytotoxic T cells and Foxp3 immunosuppressive regulatory T cells in the tumor microenvironment correlated with a cyto-nuclear expression of ZO-1. Taken together, our results support that, by affecting tumor cell secretome, the cyto-nuclear ZO-1 pool may recruit immune cells, which could be permissive for tumor progression.