Cyclophilin J Reprograms Tumor-associated Macrophages to Exert an Anti-tumor Effect in Liver Cancer.

The presence of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) characterized by an M2-like phenotype sustains a robust immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME), promoting liver hepatocellular carcinoma (LIHC) progression. Here, we find that genetic deletion of cyclophilin J (CYPJ) in mice significantly accelerates the development of liver cancer. Analysis of immune cell infiltration reveals that high expression of CYPJ correlates with an increased proportion of M1-polarized, anti-tumor macrophages and CD8(+) T cells in the TME. Mechanistically, we demonstrate that CYPJ interacts with AKT1 and inhibits the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway, which leads to polarization of TAMs toward the anti-tumor M1 phenotype, resulting in a tumor-suppressive effect. Collectively, our findings implicate CYPJ as a novel potential therapeutic target for macrophage-mediated therapy in liver cancer.