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ERMAP activates phagocytosis in Kupffer cells to restrict liver metastases

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Kupffer cells, hepatic resident macrophages, are the first line of defense against liver metastases by engulfing disseminated malignant cells. We found that ERMAP expressed on tumor cells binds to galectin-9 and dectin-2 on Kupffer cells to deliver pro-phagocytosis ‘eat me’ signals to Kupffer cells to restrict liver metastases.

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Fig. 1: Deletion of ERMAP promotes liver metastases and represses the phagocytosis of tumor cells by Kupffer cells.

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This is a summary of: Li, J. et al. The ligation between ERMAP, galectin-9 and dectin-2 promotes Kupffer cell phagocytosis and antitumor immunity. Nat. Immunol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01634-7 (2023).

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ERMAP activates phagocytosis in Kupffer cells to restrict liver metastases. Nat Immunol 24, 1801–1802 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01647-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-023-01647-2

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