The transcription factor IRF2 drives interferon-mediated CD8+ T cell exhaustion to restrict anti-tumor immunity.

Type I and II interferons (IFNs) stimulate pro-inflammatory programs that are critical for immune activation, but also induce immune-suppressive feedback circuits that impede control of cancer growth. Here, we sought to determine how these opposing programs are differentially induced. We demonstrated that the transcription factor interferon regulatory factor 2 (IRF2) was expressed by many immune cells in the tumor in response to sustained IFN signaling. CD8+ T cell-specific deletion of IRF2 prevented acquisition of the T cell exhaustion program within the tumor and instead enabled sustained effector functions that promoted long-term tumor control and increased responsiveness to immune checkpoint and adoptive cell therapies. The long-term tumor control by IRF2-deficient CD8+ T cells required continuous integration of both IFN-I and IFN-II signals. Thus, IRF2 is a foundational feedback molecule that redirects IFN signals to suppress T cell responses and represents a potential target to enhance cancer control.

Development of Novel Bioluminescent Biosensors Monitoring the Conformation and Activity of the Merlin Tumour Suppressor.

Solid tumours can universally evade contact inhibition of proliferation (CIP), a mechanism halting cell proliferation when cell-cell contact occurs. Merlin, an ERM-like protein, crucially regulates CIP and is frequently deactivated in various cancers, indicating its significance as a tumour suppressor in cancer biology. Despite extensive investigations into Merlin's role in cancer, its lack of intrinsic catalytic activity and frequent conformation changes have made it notoriously challenging to study. To address this challenge, we harnessed innovative luciferase technologies to create and validate a NanoBiT split-luciferase biosensor system in which Merlin is cloned between two split components (LgBiT and SmBiT) of NanoLuc luciferase. This system enables precise quantification of Merlin's conformation and activity both in vitro and within living cells. This biosensor significantly enhances the study of Merlin's molecular functions, serving as a potent tool for exploring its contributions to CIP and tumorigenesis.

A Novel Bioluminescent Biosensor Quantifying Intramolecular Interaction and Levels of Pyroptosis Effector GSDMD.

Gasdermin D (GSDMD) is a key executor of pyroptosis, a form of inflammation-induced programmed cell death. Recently, GSDMD has been shown to play important roles in the development of various inflammatory-related human diseases including heart failure and cancer, suggesting that it is a promising therapeutic target for these diseases. While extensive studies on GSDMD's role in pyroptosis have been reported, it is challenging to study its function due to the lack of enzymatic activity of GSDMD. In this study, we used the NanoBiT technology to develop a novel GSDMD bioluminescent biosensor (GSDMD-BS) that detects the amount of non-cleaved GSDMD. This sensor allows us to quantify GSDMD's intramolecular interactions, the amounts of uncleaved GSDMD after caspase-1 cleavage, and expression levels in living cells. In vitro experiments using purified GSDMD-BS also confirmed the sensor's accuracy in reporting GSDMD levels and cleavage. Moreover, the potential for in vivo application was demonstrated in a xenograft mouse model. In conclusion, we have developed a GSDMD biosensor that is a valuable tool for real-time monitoring of GSDMD dynamics and pyroptosis. This biosensor will significantly expedite pyroptosis research and can be used for high-throughput screening for drugs targeting GSDMD for the therapy of many inflammation-related diseases.

Molecular, metabolic, and functional CD4 T cell paralysis in the lymph node impedes tumor control.

CD4 T cells are central effectors of anti-cancer immunity and immunotherapy, yet the regulation of CD4 tumor-specific T (TTS) cells is unclear. We demonstrate that CD4 TTS cells are quickly primed and begin to divide following tumor initiation. However, unlike CD8 TTS cells or exhaustion programming, CD4 TTS cell proliferation is rapidly frozen in place by a functional interplay of regulatory T cells and CTLA4. Together these mechanisms paralyze CD4 TTS cell differentiation, redirecting metabolic circuits, and reducing their accumulation in the tumor. The paralyzed state is actively maintained throughout cancer progression and CD4 TTS cells rapidly resume proliferation and functional differentiation when the suppressive constraints are alleviated. Overcoming their paralysis established long-term tumor control, demonstrating the importance of rapidly crippling CD4 TTS cells for tumor progression and their potential restoration as therapeutic targets.

Molecular, metabolic and functional CD4 T cell paralysis impedes tumor control.

CD4 T cells are important effectors of anti-tumor immunity, yet the regulation of CD4 tumor-specific T (T TS ) cells during cancer development is still unclear. We demonstrate that CD4 T TS cells are initially primed in the tumor draining lymph node and begin to divide following tumor initiation. Distinct from CD8 T TS cells and previously defined exhaustion programs, CD4 T TS cell proliferation is rapidly frozen in place and differentiation stunted by a functional interplay of T regulatory cells and both intrinsic and extrinsic CTLA4 signaling. Together these mechanisms paralyze CD4 T TS cell differentiation, redirecting metabolic and cytokine production circuits, and reducing CD4 T TS cell accumulation in the tumor. Paralysis is actively maintained throughout cancer progression and CD4 T TS cells rapidly resume proliferation and functional differentiation when both suppressive reactions are alleviated. Strikingly, Treg depletion alone reciprocally induced CD4 T TS cells to themselves become tumor-specific Tregs, whereas CTLA4 blockade alone failed to promote T helper differentiation. Overcoming their paralysis established long-term tumor control, demonstrating a novel immune evasion mechanism that specifically cripples CD4 T TS cells to favor tumor progression.