Publication Date:
2016-03-31
Description:
Potentiating the antitumour response of CD8+ T cells by modulating cholesterol metabolism Nature 531, 7596 (2016). doi:10.1038/nature17412 Authors: Wei Yang, Yibing Bai, Ying Xiong, Jin Zhang, Shuokai Chen, Xiaojun Zheng, Xiangbo Meng, Lunyi Li, Jing Wang, Chenguang Xu, Chengsong Yan, Lijuan Wang, Catharine C. Y. Chang, Ta-Yuan Chang, Ti Zhang, Penghui Zhou, Bao-Liang Song, Wanli Liu, Shao-cong Sun, Xiaolong Liu, Bo-liang Li & Chenqi Xu CD8+ T cells have a central role in antitumour immunity, but their activity is suppressed in the tumour microenvironment. Reactivating the cytotoxicity of CD8+ T cells is of great clinical interest in cancer immunotherapy. Here we report a new mechanism by which the antitumour response of mouse CD8+ T cells can be potentiated by modulating cholesterol metabolism. Inhibiting cholesterol esterification in T cells by genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of ACAT1, a key cholesterol esterification enzyme, led to potentiated effector function and enhanced proliferation of CD8+ but not CD4+ T cells. This is due to the increase in the plasma membrane cholesterol level of CD8+ T cells, which causes enhanced T-cell receptor clustering and signalling as well as more efficient formation of the immunological synapse. ACAT1-deficient CD8+ T cells were better than wild-type CD8+ T cells at controlling melanoma growth and metastasis in mice. We used the ACAT inhibitor avasimibe, which was previously tested in clinical trials for treating atherosclerosis and showed a good human safety profile, to treat melanoma in mice and observed a good antitumour effect. A combined therapy of avasimibe plus an anti-PD-1 antibody showed better efficacy than monotherapies in controlling tumour progression. ACAT1, an established target for atherosclerosis, is therefore also a potential target for cancer immunotherapy.
Print ISSN:
0028-0836
Electronic ISSN:
1476-4687
Topics:
Biology
,
Chemistry and Pharmacology
,
Medicine
,
Natural Sciences in General
,
Physics
