Journal
IMMUNITY
Volume 45, Issue 2, Pages 374-388Publisher
CELL PRESS
DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.07.009
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Funding
- CCSG [P30CA047904]
- Sidney Kimmel Foundation for Cancer Research [SKF-015-039]
- NIH [1S10OD016236-01]
- NIH (Head and Neck Cancer SPORE) [P50 CA097190]
- NIH (Skin Cancer SPORE [developmental research award]) [P50CA121973]
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Although tumor-specific T cells recognize cancer cells, they are often rendered dysfunctional due to an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Here we showed that T cells demonstrated persistent loss of mitochondrial function and mass when infiltrating murine and human tumors, an effect specific to the tumor microenvironment and not merely caused by activation. Tumor-infiltrating T cells showed a progressive loss of PPAR-gamma coactivator 1 alpha (PGC1 alpha), which programs mitochondrial biogenesis, induced by chronic Akt signaling in tumor-specific T cells. Reprogramming tumor-specific T cells through enforced expression of PGC1 alpha resulted in superior intratumoral metabolic and effector function. Our data support a model in which signals in the tumor microenvironment repress T cell oxidative metabolism, resulting in effector cells with metabolic needs that cannot be met. Our studies also suggest that modulation or reprogramming of the altered metabolism of tumor-infiltrating T cells might represent a potential strategy to reinvigorate dysfunctional T cells for cancer treatment.
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