Methylmalonic acid induces metabolic abnormalities and exhaustion in CD8⁺ T cells to suppress anti-tumor immunity.

ABSTRACT: Systemic levels of methylmalonic acid (MMA), a byproduct of propionate metabolism, increase with age and MMA promotes tumor progression via its direct effects in tumor cells. However, the role of MMA in modulating the tumor ecosystem remains to be investigated. The proliferation and function of CD8⁺ T cells, key anti-tumor immune cells, declines with age and in conditions of vitamin B12 deficiency, which are the two most well-established conditions that lead to increased systemic levels of MMA. Thus, we hypothesized that increased circulatory levels of MMA would lead to a suppression of CD8⁺ T cell immunity. Treatment of primary CD8⁺ T cells with MMA induced a dysfunctional phenotype characterized by robust immunosuppressive transcriptional reprogramming an

SUBMITTER: Tejero JD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12904991 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature