RESUMO
Alterations in extracellular matrix (ECM) architecture and stiffness represent hallmarks of cancer. Whether the biomechanical property of ECM impacts the functionality of tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells remains largely unknown. Here, we reveal that the transcription factor (TF) Osr2 integrates biomechanical signaling and facilitates the terminal exhaustion of tumor-reactive CD8+ T cells. Osr2 expression is selectively induced in the terminally exhausted tumor-specific CD8+ T cell subset by coupled T cell receptor (TCR) signaling and biomechanical stress mediated by the Piezo1/calcium/CREB axis. Consistently, depletion of Osr2 alleviates the exhaustion of tumor-specific CD8+ T cells or CAR-T cells, whereas forced Osr2 expression aggravates their exhaustion in solid tumor models. Mechanistically, Osr2 recruits HDAC3 to rewire the epigenetic program for suppressing cytotoxic gene expression and promoting CD8+ T cell exhaustion. Thus, our results unravel Osr2 functions as a biomechanical checkpoint to exacerbate CD8+ T cell exhaustion and could be targeted to potentiate cancer immunotherapy.
Assuntos
Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos , Fatores de Transcrição , Animais , Feminino , Humanos , Camundongos , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/imunologia , Linfócitos T CD8-Positivos/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proteína de Ligação ao Elemento de Resposta ao AMP Cíclico/metabolismo , Matriz Extracelular/metabolismo , Histona Desacetilases/metabolismo , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Neoplasias/imunologia , Neoplasias/metabolismo , Receptores de Antígenos de Linfócitos T/metabolismo , Transdução de Sinais , Exaustão das Células T , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Microambiente Tumoral , Estresse MecânicoRESUMO
The loss of contact inhibition is a key step during carcinogenesis. The Hippo-Yes-associated protein (Hippo/YAP) pathway is an important regulator of cell growth in a cell density-dependent manner. However, how Hippo signaling senses cell density in this context remains elusive. Here, we report that high cell density induced the phosphorylation of spectrin α chain, nonerythrocytic 1 (SPTAN1), a plasma membrane-stabilizing protein, to recruit NUMB endocytic adaptor protein isoforms 1 and 2 (NUMB1/2), which further sequestered microtubule affinity-regulating kinases (MARKs) in the plasma membrane and rendered them inaccessible for phosphorylation and inhibition of the Hippo kinases sterile 20-like kinases MST1 and MST2 (MST1/2). WW45 interaction with MST1/2 was thereby enhanced, resulting in the activation of Hippo signaling to block YAP activity for cell contact inhibition. Importantly, low cell density led to SPTAN1 dephosphorylation and NUMB cytoplasmic location, along with MST1/2 inhibition and, consequently, YAP activation. Moreover, double KO of NUMB and WW45 in the liver led to appreciable organ enlargement and rapid tumorigenesis. Interestingly, NUMB isoforms 3 and 4, which have a truncated phosphotyrosine-binding (PTB) domain and are thus unable to interact with phosphorylated SPTAN1 and activate MST1/2, were selectively upregulated in liver cancer, which correlated with YAP activation. We have thus revealed a SPTAN1/NUMB1/2 axis that acts as a cell density sensor to restrain cell growth and oncogenesis by coupling external cell-cell contact signals to intracellular Hippo signaling.
Assuntos
Via de Sinalização Hippo , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases , Humanos , Proteínas Serina-Treonina Quinases/metabolismo , Espectrina/metabolismo , Proteínas Adaptadoras de Transdução de Sinal/metabolismo , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/genéticaRESUMO
Glucose consumption is generally increased in tumor cells to support tumor growth. Interestingly, we report that glycogen accumulation is a key initiating oncogenic event during liver malignant transformation. We found that glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) catalyzing the last step of glycogenolysis is frequently downregulated to augment glucose storage in pre-malignant cells. Accumulated glycogen undergoes liquid-liquid phase separation, which results in the assembly of the Laforin-Mst1/2 complex and consequently sequesters Hippo kinases Mst1/2 in glycogen liquid droplets to relieve their inhibition on Yap. Moreover, G6PC or another glycogenolysis enzyme-liver glycogen phosphorylase (PYGL) deficiency in both human and mice results in glycogen storage disease along with liver enlargement and tumorigenesis in a Yap-dependent manner. Consistently, elimination of glycogen accumulation abrogates liver growth and cancer incidence, whereas increasing glycogen storage accelerates tumorigenesis. Thus, we concluded that cancer-initiating cells adapt a glycogen storing mode, which blocks Hippo signaling through glycogen phase separation to augment tumor incidence.
Assuntos
Carcinogênese/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/patologia , Glicogênio/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/metabolismo , Neoplasias Hepáticas/patologia , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Animais , Linhagem Celular , Modelos Animais de Doenças , Regulação para Baixo/genética , Feminino , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica , Glucose-6-Fosfatase/metabolismo , Glicogênio Fosforilase/metabolismo , Fator de Crescimento de Hepatócito/metabolismo , Via de Sinalização Hippo , Humanos , Fígado/metabolismo , Fígado/patologia , Neoplasias Hepáticas/genética , Masculino , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Knockout , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Estadiamento de Neoplasias , Transição de Fase , Lesões Pré-Cancerosas/metabolismo , Lesões Pré-Cancerosas/patologia , Proteínas Tirosina Fosfatases não Receptoras/metabolismo , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/metabolismo , Serina-Treonina Quinase 3/metabolismo , Proteínas de Sinalização YAP/metabolismoRESUMO
The external factors that modulate Hippo signaling remain elusive. Here, we report that FGF15 activates Hippo signaling to suppress bile acid metabolism, liver overgrowth, and tumorigenesis. FGF15 is induced by FXR in ileal enterocytes in response to increased amounts of intestinal bile. We found that circulating enterohepatic FGF15 stimulates hepatic receptor FGFR4 to recruit and phosphorylate NF2, which relieves the inhibitory effect of Raf on the Hippo kinases Mst1/2, thereby switching FGFR4's role from pro-oncogenic to anti-tumor signaling. The activated Mst1/2 subsequently phosphorylates and stabilizes SHP to downregulate the key bile acid-synthesis enzyme Cyp7a1 expression, thereby limiting bile acid synthesis. In contrast, Mst1/2 deficiency impairs bile acid metabolism and remarkably increases Cyp7a1 expression and bile acid production. Importantly, pharmacological depletion of intestinal bile abrogates Mst1/2-mutant-driven liver overgrowth and oncogenesis. Therefore, FGF15-Hippo signaling along the gut-liver axis acts as a sensor of bile acid availability to restrain liver size and tumorigenesis.