Sickle cell disease induces chromatin introversion and ferroptosis in CD8+ T cells to suppress anti-tumor immunity
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ABSTRACT:
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE247240 | GEO | 2025/05/12
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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Project description:Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) predominantly afflicts young individuals of African descent harboring sickle hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease (SCD) or sickle cell anemia (SCA). RMC is refractory to targeted and immune therapy strategies used for other renal cell carcinomas. We have demonstrated that RMC is resistant to immune checkpoint inhibition despite harboring an inflamed tumor immune microenvironment. Hence, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to reverse this resistance. We discovered that CD8+ T cells under SCD condition exhibit altered genomic architecture and ferroptosis, which significantly impairs the anti-tumor immunity of effector T cells. These observations may underscore a fundamental mechanism behind the distinct resistance of RMC resistance to immune checkpoint therapies. By leveraging the use of both mouse SCD model and humanized mice phenotypically representing SCD/SCA, as well as primary CD8+ T cells isolated from patients with SCA, we identified that the SLC7A11 gene is transcriptionally downregulated in the CD8+ T cells of SCA donors via genomic architecture alteration. The reduced expression of SLC7A11 partially accounts for the ferroptosis observed in the CD8+ T cells of SCD disease, via impairing the cystine transportation and synthesis of Glutathione (GSH). Our findings also demonstrated that treatment using a hydrogen sulfide slow-releasing donor restored the expression of SLC7A11, antagonized the ferroptosis of CD8+ T cells under SCD/SDA condition and restored anti-tumor immunity in vivo. Hence, our research findings provide novel mechanistic insights into SCD and RMC and pave the way to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to sensitize RMC to immune therapies.
2025-07-02 | GSE240827 | GEO
Project description:Renal medullary carcinoma (RMC) predominantly afflicts young individuals of African descent harboring sickle hemoglobinopathies such as sickle cell disease (SCD) or sickle cell anemia (SCA). RMC is refractory to targeted and immune therapy strategies used for other renal cell carcinomas. We have demonstrated that RMC is resistant to immune checkpoint inhibition despite harboring an inflamed tumor immune microenvironment. Hence, novel therapeutic strategies are urgently needed to reverse this resistance. We discovered that CD8+ T cells under SCD condition exhibit altered genomic architecture and ferroptosis, which significantly impairs the anti-tumor immunity of effector T cells. These observations may underscore a fundamental mechanism behind the distinct resistance of RMC resistance to immune checkpoint therapies. By leveraging the use of both mouse SCD model and humanized mice phenotypically representing SCD/SCA, as well as primary CD8+ T cells isolated from patients with SCA, we identified that the SLC7A11 gene is transcriptionally downregulated in the CD8+ T cells of SCA donors via genomic architecture alteration. The reduced expression of SLC7A11 partially accounts for the ferroptosis observed in the CD8+ T cells of SCD disease, via impairing the cystine transportation and synthesis of Glutathione (GSH). Our findings also demonstrated that treatment using a hydrogen sulfide slow-releasing donor restored the expression of SLC7A11, antagonized the ferroptosis of CD8+ T cells under SCD/SDA condition and restored anti-tumor immunity in vivo. Hence, our research findings provide novel mechanistic insights into SCD and RMC and pave the way to develop innovative therapeutic strategies to sensitize RMC to immune therapies.
2025-07-02 | GSE231386 | GEO
Project description:CD8+ T cells activated by cancer immunotherapy execute tumor clearance mainly by inducing cell death through perforin-granzyme- and Fas/Fas ligand-pathways. Ferroptosis is a form of cell death that differs from apoptosis and results from iron-dependent lipid peroxide accumulation. Although it was mechanistically illuminated in vitro, emerging evidence has shown that ferroptosis may be implicated in a variety of pathological scenarios. However, the involvement of ferroptosis in T cell immunity and cancer immunotherapy is unknown. Here, we find that immunotherapy-activated CD8+ T cells enhance ferroptosis-specific lipid peroxidation in tumor cells, and in turn, increased ferroptosis contributes to the anti-tumor efficacy of immunotherapy. Mechanistically, IFNg released from CD8+ T cells downregulates expression of SLC3A2 and SLC7A11, two subunits of glutamate-cystine antiporter system xc-, restrains tumor cell cystine uptake, and as a consequence, promotes tumor cell lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis. In preclinical models, depletion of cyst(e)ine by cyst(e)inase in combination with checkpoint blockade synergistically enhances T cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity and induces tumor cell ferroptosis. Thus, T cell-promoted tumor ferroptosis is a novel anti-tumor mechanism. Targeting tumor ferroptosis pathway constitutes a therapeutic approach in combination with checkpoint blockade.
2019-03-16 | GSE128392 | GEO
Project description:Immune checkpoint blockade is a powerful oncologic treatment modality for a wide variety of human malignancies. Randomized clinical trials are assessing how best to interdigitate this treatment modality with traditional therapies including radiotherapy. A challenge in oncology is to rationally and effectively integrate immunotherapy with traditional modalities including radiotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that radiotherapy induces tumor cell ferroptosis. Ferroptosis agonists augment and ferroptosis antagonists limit radiotherapy efficacy in tumor models. Immunotherapy sensitizes tumors to radiotherapy by promoting tumor cell ferroptosis. Mechanistically, IFN derived from immunotherapy-activated CD8+ T cells and radiotherapy-activated ATM independently, yet synergistically repress SLC7A11, a unit of the glutamate-cystine antiporter xc-, resulting in reduced cystine uptake, enhanced tumor lipid oxidation and ferroptosis, and improved tumor control. Thus, ferroptosis is an unappreciated mechanism and focus for the development of effective combinatorial cancer therapy.
2020-09-23 | GSE137946 | GEO
Project description:Compared to the well-established roles of apoptosis in tumor suppression, the roles and regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis, a non-apoptotic form of cell death, in tumor biology remain much less understood. BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) encodes a nuclear de-ubiquitinating (DUB) enzyme to reduce histone 2A ubiquitination (H2Aub) on chromatin, and is a tumor suppressor in several human cancers. Here, integrated transcriptomic, epigenomic, and cancer genomic analyses link BAP1 to metabolism-related biological processes, including oxidative stress response, and identify cystine transporter SLC7A11 as a BAP1-repressed target gene with high relevance to BAP1-mediated tumor suppression in human cancers. Functional studies reveal that BAP1, in a DUB-dependent manner, decreases H2Aub occupancy on the SLC7A11 promoter and represses SLC7A11 expression, and that BAP1 inhibits cystine uptake and promotes ferroptosis through repressing SLC7A11 expression. Finally, we show that BAP1 inhibits tumor development partly through SLC7A11, and that cancer-associated BAP1 mutants lose their abilities to repress SLC7A11 and to promote ferroptosis. Together, the results of our study show that BAP1 executes its tumor suppression function at least partly through its regulation of SLC7A11 and ferroptosis, and uncover a previously unappreciated mechanism coupling ferroptosis to tumor suppression.
2018-07-05 | GSE101987 | GEO
Project description:Anti-PD-1 immunotherapy has been established to be greatly effective in melanoma treatment, but the low response rate and occurrence of treatment resistance significantly hinder its efficacy. Recent studies have demonstrated that IFN-γ secreted by tumor-infiltrating CD8+T cells suppresses the expression of Xc- system to induce ferroptosis of tumor cells. However, whether the escape of tumor cells from ferroptosis facilitates the resistance to immunotherapy and the upstream regulatory mechanism remain elusive. MiRNAs participate in ferroptosis execution and can be delivered systemically by nanoparticle or alternative carriers, through which obvious therapeutic effect on cancer has been obtained. Herein, through RNA sequencing, we first obtained miRNAs expression profile of melanoma cells in IFN-γ-potentiated ferroptosis.
2022-06-29 | GSE186497 | GEO
Project description:T cell-based cancer immunotherapies have revolutionized cancer treatment, yet durable responses remain elusive. Here, we report that PCIF1, an RNA N6, 2’-O-dimethyladenosine (m6Am) methyltransferase, negatively regulates CD8+ T cell anti-tumor responses. Whole-body or T cell-specific Pcif1 knockout (KO) significantly reduces tumor growth in mice. Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals heightened tumor-infiltrating cytotoxic CD8+ T cells in Pcif1-deficient mice. Mechanistically, proteomic and m6Am-sequencing analyses pinpoint that Pcif1 KO elevates crucial m6Am-modified targets, specifically ferroptosis suppressor genes (Fth1, Slc3a2), and T cell activation gene Cd69, imparting resistance to ferroptosis and enhancing CD8+ T cell activation. Of note, Pcif1-deficient mice with tumors exhibit enhanced responses to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy, and Pcif1 KO CAR T cells demonstrate improved tumor control. Clinically, cancer patients with low PCIF1 expression in T cells exhibit enhanced responses to immunotherapies. These findings suggest that PCIF1 suppresses CD8+ T cell activation and targeting PCIF1 as a promising strategy to boost anti-tumor immunity.
2024-11-14 | GSE254597 | GEO
Project description:Abstract Background Cancer creates an immunosuppressive environment that hampers immune responses, allowing tumors to grow and resist therapy. One way the immune system fights back is by inducing ferroptosis, a type of cell death, in tumor cells through CD8+ T cells. This involves lipid peroxidation and enzymes like lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (Lpcat3), which makes cells more prone to ferroptosis. However, the mechanisms by which cancer cells avoid immunotherapy-mediated ferroptosis are unclear. Our study reveals how cancer cells evade ferroptosis and anti-tumor immunity through the upregulation of fatty acid-binding protein 7 (Fabp7). Methods To explore how cancer cells resist immune cell-mediated ferroptosis, we used a comprehensive range of techniques. We worked with cell lines including PD1-sensitive, PD1-resistant, B16F10, and QPP7 glioblastoma cells, and conducted in vivo studies in syngeneic 129 Sv/Ev, C57BL/6, and conditional knockout mice with Rora deletion specifically in CD8+ T cells, Cd8 cre;Rorafl mice. Methods included mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, targeted lipidomics, Oil Red O staining, Seahorse analysis, quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, PPARγ transcription factor assays, ChIP-seq, untargeted lipidomic analysis, ROS assay, ex vivo co-culture of CD8+ T cells with cancer cells, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, Western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation assay, flow cytometry and Imaging Mass Cytometry. Results PD1-resistant tumors upregulate Fabp7, driving protective metabolic changes that shield cells from ferroptosis and evade anti-tumor immunity. Fabp7 decreases the transcription of ferroptosis-inducing genes like Lpcat3 and increases the transcription of ferroptosis-protective genes such as Bmal1 through epigenetic reprogramming. Lipidomic profiling revealed that Fabp7 increases triglycerides and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which impede lipid peroxidation and ROS generation. Fabp7 also improves mitochondrial function and fatty acid oxidation (FAO), enhancing cancer cell survival. Furthermore, cancer cells increase Fabp7 expression in CD8+ T cells, disrupting circadian clock gene expression and triggering apoptosis through p53 stabilization. Clinical trial data revealed that higher FABP7 expression correlates with poorer overall survival and progression-free survival in patients undergoing immunotherapy. Conclusions Our study uncovers a novel mechanism by which cancer cells evade immune-mediated ferroptosis through Fabp7 upregulation. This protein reprograms lipid metabolism and disrupts circadian regulation in immune cells, promoting tumor survival and resistance to immunotherapy. Targeting Fabp7 could enhance immunotherapy effectiveness by re-sensitizing resistant tumors to ferroptosis.
2025-01-31 | GSE285216 | GEO
Project description:Cancer creates an immunosuppressive environment that hampers immune responses, allowing tumors to grow and resist therapy. One way the immune system fights back is by inducing ferroptosis, a type of cell death, in tumor cells through CD8+ T cells. This involves lipid peroxidation and enzymes like lysophosphatidylcholine acyltransferase 3 (Lpcat3), which makes cells more prone to ferroptosis. However, the mechanisms by which cancer cells avoid immunotherapy-mediated ferroptosis are unclear. Our study reveals how cancer cells evade ferroptosis and anti-tumor immunity through the upregulation of fatty acid-binding protein 7 (Fabp7). Methods To explore how cancer cells resist immune cell-mediated ferroptosis, we used a comprehensive range of techniques. We worked with cell lines including PD1-sensitive, PD1-resistant, B16F10, and QPP7 glioblastoma cells, and conducted in vivo studies in syngeneic 129 Sv/Ev, C57BL/6, and conditional knockout mice with Rora deletion specifically in CD8+ T cells, Cd8 cre;Rorafl mice. Methods included mass spectrometry-based lipidomics, targeted lipidomics, Oil Red O staining, Seahorse analysis, quantitative PCR, immunohistochemistry, PPARγ transcription factor assays, ChIP-seq, untargeted lipidomic analysis, ROS assay, ex vivo co-culture of CD8+ T cells with cancer cells, ATAC-seq, RNA-seq, Western blotting, co-immunoprecipitation assay, flow cytometry and Imaging Mass Cytometry. Results PD1-resistant tumors upregulate Fabp7, driving protective metabolic changes that shield cells from ferroptosis and evade anti-tumor immunity. Fabp7 decreases the transcription of ferroptosis-inducing genes like Lpcat3 and increases the transcription of ferroptosis-protective genes such as Bmal1 through epigenetic reprogramming. Lipidomic profiling revealed that Fabp7 increases triglycerides and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), which impede lipid peroxidation and ROS generation. Fabp7 also improves mitochondrial function and fatty acid oxidation (FAO), enhancing cancer cell survival. Furthermore, cancer cells increase Fabp7 expression in CD8+ T cells, disrupting circadian clock gene expression and triggering apoptosis through p53 stabilization. Clinical trial data revealed that higher FABP7 expression correlates with poorer overall survival and progression-free survival in patients undergoing immunotherapy. Conclusions Our study uncovers a novel mechanism by which cancer cells evade immune-mediated ferroptosis through Fabp7 upregulation. This protein reprograms lipid metabolism and disrupts circadian regulation in immune cells, promoting tumor survival and resistance to immunotherapy. Targeting Fabp7 could enhance immunotherapy effectiveness by re-sensitizing resistant tumors to ferroptosis.
2025-01-31 | GSE285215 | GEO
Project description:Since both endogenous synthesis in tumor cells and bacterial sulfur reduction activities are sources of H2S in colon cancer microenvironment, in addition to using CBS -/+ mice, we also investigated the roles of reducing H2S through adopting a sulfur amino acid restriction diet (SARD) (0.15% methionine and 0% cystine) on immunotherapy (anti-PD-L1) of colon cancer. Tumor bulk sequencing was performed in cecum orthotopic CT26 tumors collected from IgG and anti-PD-L1 treated mice both receiving normal diet and SARD.
2022-10-05 | GSE214622 | GEO