Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) Suppress T-Cell Proliferation Less Than Mature Neutrophils in Blood and Bone Marrow From Multiple Myeloma Patients

Sep 29, 2026

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Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematological malignancy marked by clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in bone marrow, preceded by monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS). The tumor microenvironment is believed to influence progression, and myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are known for inhibiting T-cell responses. This study evaluates levels and functions of MDSC subsets in bone marrow from MGUS and MM patients and compares them with blood, finding no increased MDSCs in either compartment and limited T-cell suppression. Mature neutrophils show stronger immunoregulatory effects, while eMDSCs are reduced in MM blood.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Multiple myeloma and MGUS background

Role and subsets of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs)

Challenges in studying MDSCs in humans

Phenotypic markers for MDSC subsets

Wiley Journal of Immunology Research Volume 2026, Article ID 9232540, 11 pages [https://doi.org/10.1155/jimr/9232540](https://doi.org/10.1155/jimr/9232540) Research Article Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) Suppress T-Cell Proliferation Less Than Mature Neutrophils in Blood and Bone Marrow From Multiple Myeloma Patients Julia Westerlund , 1,2 Sandra Askman , 1,3 Åsa Pettersson,4 Stina Wichert ,2 Thomas Hellmark ,4 Åsa C. M. Johansson , 1,5 and Markus Hansson 2,6 1Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, BMC B13, Lund 22184, Sweden 2Department of Hematology, Oncology and Radiation Physics, Skåne University Hospital, Lund 22185, Sweden 3Department of Respiratory Medicine and Allergology, Skåne University Hospital, Lund 22185, Sweden 4Nephrology, Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Skåne University Hospital, Lund University, Barngatan 2, Lund 22185, Sweden 5Clinical Genetics and Pathology, Skåne University Hospital, BMC C13, Lund 22185, Region Skåne, Sweden 6Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, University of Göteborg, Sahlgrenska Academy, Institute of Medicine, Bruna Stråket 5, Plan 5, Göteborg 41325, Sweden Correspondence should be addressed to Markus Hansson; [markus.hansson@med.lu.se](markus.hansson@med.lu.se) Received 2 August 2025; Revised 23 November 2025; Accepted 5 December 2025 Academic Editor: Poorani Gurumallesh Prabu Copyright © 2026 Julia Westerlund et al. Journal of Immunology Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy, characterized by a clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in bone marrow. Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined signiﬁcance (MGUS) is the premalignant condition of MM. The tumor microenvironment is thought to inﬂuence the progression from premalignant conditions. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogenous group of different cellular subsets with myeloid origin, characterized by their ability to inhibit T-cell responses. MDSC are thought to play an important immunoregulatory role in different diseases, and in many cancers their levels seem to correlate with a poor prognosis. There are three different subsets, the neutrophil-like polymorphonuclear (PMN)-MDSC, the monocyte-like (M)-MDSC, and the immature early (e)MDSC. In this study, we investigate the levels and functions of all MDSC subsets in the bone marrow of both MGUS and MM patients and compare it to blood MDSC. We found that MDSC levels are not increased in neither the blood nor bone marrow of MGUS or MM patients, and they lack strong T-cell suppressive abilities. Blood PMN-MDSC seems to have a small inhibitory effect, but mature neutrophils were more suppressive. Interestingly, eMDSC levels were decreased in the blood of MM patients. Our data indicate that MDSC are not key players in the pathogenesis of MM, but that mature neutrophils may be more important as they have a stronger immunoregulatory effect. 1. Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy and accounts for 1% of all cancer cases [1] . In MM, there is a clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow that usually leads to increased levels of monoclonal immunoglobulins (M component) or light chains. MM is characterized by the CRAB criteria—increased calcium levels, renal failure, anemia, and osteolytic bone lesions [1] . Many MM patients also suffer from recurrent bacterial infections [2], which may suggest an impaired neutrophil function [3]. MM is preceded by a premalignant condition called monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined signiﬁcance (MGUS) [4, 5]. MGUS is associated with a life-long risk of developing MM and

FAQs

What are myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and why are they relevant to MM?

MDSCs are myeloid-origin cells that inhibit T-cell responses. They are considered to influence the tumor microenvironment by suppressing anti-tumor immunity and potentially promoting tumor progression.

How were MDSC subsets assessed in this study?

The study investigated MDSC levels and functions across subsets in bone marrow from MGUS and MM patients, and compared those findings with blood MDSCs.

What did the results show about MDSC levels and their suppressive activity?

MDSC levels were not increased in either blood or bone marrow of MGUS or MM patients, and the cells lacked strong T-cell suppressive abilities. Mature neutrophils were more suppressive than PMN-MDSCs, and eMDSC levels decreased in the blood of MM patients.

Sep 29, 2026

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