About the Cover
Cover image

About the Cover
Poor clinical outcome in cancer patients is associated with the presence of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs). However, fibroblasts are heterogenous and can have different functions, and whether CAFs directly interact with and impact T cells in the tumor microenvironment remains to be determined. Cremasco and Astarita et al. show that two populations of FAP+ mesenchymal stromal cells exist in breast cancer tumors from humans and mice: those that express podoplanin (PDPN+ CAFs) and those that do not (cancer-associated pericytes; CAPs). Each population has a distinctive gene signature and localization within tumors, and FAP+PDPN+ CAFs were shown to suppress T cells, whereas FAP+PDPN− CAPs were not immunosuppressive. These data highlight how different FAP+ stromal cell populations can modulate the breast cancer tumor microenvironment. Read more in this issue on page 1472.
Original image from Supplementary Fig. S1E. Artwork by Lewis Long.