DOI: 10.3390/ijms27198763 ISSN: 1422-0067

Multiple Myeloma Cell-Derived Secretome Modulates Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Migration In Vitro

Maria João Fernandes, Andrea Giestinhas, Sara Reis Moura, Maria Helena Vasconcelos, Susana Gomes Santos, Maria José Oliveira, Maria Inês Almeida

Multiple myeloma (MM) depends on a permissive bone marrow microenvironment that supports malignant plasma cell survival and disease progression. Bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (BM-MSCs) are key components of this niche, but the mechanisms by which they are recruited by MM cells remain unclear. Here, we show that the MM-derived secretome (MM-Sec) promotes BM-MSC wound closure and transwell migration-associated responses in vitro. A small extracellular vesicle (sEV)-enriched pellet was isolated from MM.1S-Sec by differential ultracentrifugation and characterized, and the relative contributions of the sEV-enriched fraction and sEV-depleted secretome (post-100,000× g) to BM-MSC migration were assessed. The results show that the sEV-depleted secretome is more effective than the sEV-enriched fraction in promoting BM-MSC recruitment. Chemokine profiling of MM.1S-Sec identified CCL3 (MIP-1α) and CCL5 (RANTES) as abundant secreted factors and exploratory candidate contributors. Recombinant CCL3 and CCL5 increased the BM-MSC transwell migration response at high concentrations. Priming with MM.1S-Sec was associated with increased transwell migration-associated responses in the presence of CCL3 and CCL5. Together, these exploratory findings suggest that both vesicle-associated and soluble non-vesicular components may contribute to BM-MSC migration, while CCL3 and CCL5 may participate as candidate contributors within a broader network of soluble mediators. These findings identify secretome-mediated modulation of stromal migration as a relevant component of MM–microenvironment crosstalk that warrants further mechanistic investigation.