Chronic Adrenergic Stress Contributes to Metabolic Dysfunction and an Exhausted Phenotype in T Cells in the Tumor Microenvironment.
Cancer Immunol Res
; 9(6): 651-664, 2021 06.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-33762351
ABSTRACT
Metabolic dysfunction and exhaustion in tumor-infiltrating T cells have been linked to ineffectual antitumor immunity and the failure of immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy. We report here that chronic stress plays a previously unrecognized role in regulating the state of T cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Using two mouse tumor models, we found that blocking chronic adrenergic stress signaling using the pan ß-blocker propranolol or by using mice lacking the ß2-adrenergic receptor (ß2-AR) results in reduced tumor growth rates with significantly fewer tumor-infiltrating T cells that express markers of exhaustion, with a concomitant increase in progenitor exhausted T cells. We also report that blocking ß-AR signaling in mice increases glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL), which associated with increased expression of the costimulatory molecule CD28 and increased antitumor effector functions, including increased cytokine production. Using T cells from Nur77-GFP reporter mice to monitor T-cell activation, we observed that stress-induced ß-AR signaling suppresses T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling. Together, these data suggest that chronic stress-induced adrenergic receptor signaling serves as a "checkpoint" of immune responses and contributes to immunosuppression in the TME by promoting T-cell metabolic dysfunction and exhaustion. These results also support the possibility that chronic stress, which unfortunately is increased in many patients with cancer following their diagnoses, could be exerting a major negative influence on the outcome of therapies that depend upon the status of TILs and support the use of strategies to reduce stress or ß-AR signaling in combination with immunotherapy.
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Linfócitos do Interstício Tumoral
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Receptores Adrenérgicos beta 2
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Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos
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Microambiente Tumoral
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Neoplasias Experimentais
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Cancer Immunol Res
Ano de publicação:
2021
Tipo de documento:
Article