Introduction
Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) is a rare hematologic neoplasm
characterized by the accumulation of
CD1a+ CD207+ histiocytes and
inflammatory infiltrates1,2. This disease most
commonly affects children with highly variable clinical manifestations,
ranging from a single self-limited bone or skin lesion to
life-threatening disseminated disease1,2. The
mechanisms of pathogenesis are underpinned by alterations in the MAPK
pathway, with 50% to 60% of patients exhibiting the BRAF- V600E
mutation in lesions1. Although stratified treatment
strategies have improved the overall survival (OS) rate of pediatric LCH
patients in recent decades and BRAF or MEK inhibitors have shown good
short-term effectiveness and tolerability in recurrent/refractory LCH,
relapse has remained the major cause of treatment
failure3. Therefore, there is a pressing need to
identify effective prognostic factors to predict recurrence and refine
risk stratification for LCH patients.
Colony-stimulating Factor 1 receptor (CSF1R) is a transmembrane protein
that functions as a cell membrane receptor4,5; it
binds ligands through its ectodomain to activate intercellular signaling
pathways, which control innate immune responses5.
CSF1R is a helpful marker for distinguishing florid dermatopathic
lymphadenopathy from Langerhans cell neoplasms6. High
expression of CSF1R in LCH cells and tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs)
from LCH patients further supports the importance of CSF1R in LCH
disease7. Intriguingly, a soluble form of CSF1R
(sCSF1R), a truncated CSF1R protein, has been reported in goldfish
serum8. sCSF1R lacks the transmembrane and
intracellular domains but retains the ligand-binding region. However,
whether sCSF1R is generated through alternative splicing or proteolytic
cleavage of the extracellular domain of the full-length receptor is not
fully understood8. A peptide derived from CSF1R has
been identified in human cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as a potential
biomarker for Parkinson’s disease compared to healthy
controls9. However, whether sCSF1R can be detected in
the plasma of LCH patients as a biomarker must be explored.
This study is the first to
identify sCSF1R as a robust plasma biomarker by plasma proteome
profiling. We further detected plasma sCSF1R levels at diagnosis and
during follow-up with an immunoassay ELISA to investigate its prognostic
value. Finally, we explored the effect of sCSF1R on chemotherapeutic
drug sensitivity at the cellular level.