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Expression of IMPACT curtails metabolic plasticity and augments NK cell killing to abrogate metastatic growth

ABSTRACT: To form overt metastases, disseminated tumor cells must simultaneously acquire nutrients, circumvent oxidative stress, and evade organ-specific innate immune surveillance upon arrival. Given the propensity of aggressive epithelial tumors to form hepatic metastases, we performed an in vivo cDNA screen using the mouse liver and KRASG12D/TP53R273H pancreatic cells to identify the RNA binding protein general control of amino acid synthesis 1-like 1 (GCN1) as integral component of hepatic outgrowth. RNAi experiments reveal that GCN1 triggers the integrated stress response (ISR) to activate serine, folate, and methionine biosynthetic pathways together with amino acid transporters, which act in concert to facilitate acquisition of critical metabolites and to restore redox homeostasis. Alongside activation of the ISR, we found that GCN1 also functions in the nucleus where it interacts with an RNA binding protein (HNRNPK) to suppress the expression of MHC-I, antigen-presentation pathway molecules, and natural killer (NK) ligands. Intriguingly, we identified IMPACT as an endogenous competitive inhibitor of GCN1 that blocks both ISR-dependent metabolic control and disrupts HNRNPK interaction. In doing so, IMPACT enhances tumor immunogenicity to unleash robust NK cell killing, in addition to sensitizing metastatic tumor cells to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB). Analysis of patient tumors demonstrates that elevated expression of GCN1 and HNRNPK with concomitant loss of IMPACT correlates with poor immunogenicity, aggressive behavior, and abbreviated survival. These studies provide novel insights linking tumor metabolism, immunity, and metastasis.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE299485 | GEO | 2025/07/11

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Background Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) endows cancer cells with pro-metastatic properties, which appear most effective when cells enter an intermediate hybrid (H) state, characterized by integrated mesenchymal (M) and epithelial (E) traits. The reasons for this advantage are poorly known and, especially, it is totally unexplored whether the interplay between H-cells and NK cells could have a role. Here we characterize the pro-metastatic mechanics of Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) H-cells and their subset of cancer-initiating cells (CICs), dissecting crucial interactions with NK cells. Methods Human lung cancer cell lines and sub-lines representative of E, M, or H states, assessed by proteomics, were analysed in vivo for their tumor-forming and disseminating capabilities. Interactions with NK cells were investigated in vitro using migration assays, cytotoxic degranulation assays and evaluation of CD133+ CICs modulation after co-culture, and validated in vivo through NK cell neutralization assays. Correlation between EMT status, NK cell infiltration, and survival data, was evaluated in a cohort of surgically resected NSCLC cases (n=79). Results We demonstrated that H-cells, have limited dissemination capability but show highest potential to initiate metastases in vivo. This property was related to their ability to escape NK cell surveillance. Mechanistically, H-cells expressed low levels of NK-attracting chemokines (CXCL1 and CXCL8), generating poorly infiltrated metastases. Accordingly, proteomics and GO enrichment analysis of E, H, M cell lines showed that the related secretory processes could change during EMT. Furthermore, H-CICs uniquely expressed high levels of the inhibitory ligand B7-H3, which protected H-CIC from NK cell-mediated clearance. In vivo neutralization assays confirmed that, indeed, the pro-metastatic properties of H-cells are poorly controlled by NK cells. Finally, the analysis of patients revealed that detection of hybrid phenotypes associated with low NK infiltration in NSCLC clinical specimens could identify a subset of patients with poor prognosis. Conclusions Our study demonstrates that H-cells play a central role in the metastatic spread in NSCLC. Such pro-metastatic advantage of H-cells is supported by their altered interaction with NK cells and by the critical role of B7H3 in preserving their H-CIC component, indicating B7H3 as a potential target in combined NK-based therapies.

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Expression of IMPACT curtails metabolic plasticity and augments NK cell killing to abrogate metastatic growth

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