IL-1α secreted by subcapsular sinus macrophages promotes melanoma metastasis in the sentinel lymph node by upregulating STAT3 signaling in the tumor

During melanoma metastasization, tumor cells originated in the skin migrate via lymphatic vessels to the sentinel lymph node (sLN) in a process that facilitates their spread across the body. Here, we characterized the innate inflammatory responses to melanoma metastasis in the sLN. For this purpose, we confirmed the migration of fluorescent metastatic melanoma cells to the sLN and we characterized the inflammatory response in the metastatic microenvironment. We found that macrophages located in the subcapsular sinus (SSM), produce pro-tumoral IL-1α after recognition of tumor antigens. Moreover, we confirmed that the administration of an anti-IL-1α depleting antibody reduced metastasis. Conversely, the administration of recombinant IL-1α accelerated the lymphatic spreading of the tumor. Additionally, the elimination of the macrophages significantly reduced the progression of the metastatic spread. To understand the mechanism of action of IL-1α in the context of the lymph node microenvironment, we applied single-cell RNA sequencing to dissected metastases obtained from animals treated with an anti-IL-1α blocking antibody. Amongst the different pathways affected, we identified STAT3 as one of the main targets of IL-1α signaling in metastatic cells. Moreover, we found that the anti-IL-1α anti-tumoral effect was not mediated by lymphocytes, as IL-1R1 KO mice did not show any improvement in metastasis growth. Finally, we found a synergistic anti-metastatic effect of the combination of IL-1α blocking and the STAT3 inhibitor (STAT3i) stattic. In summary, we described a new mechanism by which SSM support melanoma metastasis, highlighting a new target for immunotherapy.