Genome-wide CRISPR screens of T cell exhaustion identify chromatin remodeling factors that limit T cell persistence

T cell exhaustion limits antitumor immunity, but the molecular determinants of this process remain poorly un-derstood. Using a chronic stimulation assay, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens to system-atically discover regulators of T cell exhaustion, which identified an enrichment of epigenetic factors. In vivo CRISPR screens in murine and human tumor models demonstrated that perturbation of the INO80 and BAF chromatin remodeling complexes improved T cell persistence in tumors. In vivo Perturb-seq revealed distinct transcriptional roles of each complex and that depletion of canonical BAF complex members, including Arid1a, resulted in the maintenance of an effector program and downregulation of exhaustion-related genes in tumor-infiltrating T cells. Finally, Arid1a depletion limited the acquisition of exhaustion-associated chro-matin accessibility and led to improved antitumor immunity. In summary, we provide an atlas of the genetic regulators of T cell exhaustion and demonstrate that modulation of epigenetic state can improve T cell responses in cancer immunotherapy.

Automated summary

This study demonstrates that modulation of chromatin remodeling complexes improves the persistence of T cells in tumors and enhances antitumor immunity, providing important insights into the genetic regulators of T cell exhaustion.