bims-stacyt 2025-05-18 papers

bims-stacyt

Biomed News

on Metabolism and the paracrine crosstalk between cancer and the organism

Issue of 2025–05–18
twelve papers selected by
Cristina Muñoz Pinedo, L’Institut d’Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge

Cancer-induced FOXP1 disrupts and reprograms skeletal-muscle circadian transcription in cachexia.
Randomized Phase II Study of Nab-Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine With or Without Tocilizumab as First-Line Treatment in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Survival and Cachexia.
Ribosome association inhibits stress-induced gene mRNA localization to stress granules.
Mitochondrial HSP90 paralog TRAP1 deletion drives glutamine addiction in tumor cells via destablization of the Cys/Glu antiporter SLC7A11/xCT.
ER stress and/or ER-phagy in drug resistance? Three coincidences are proof.
Hypoxia-Dependent Upregulation of VEGF Relies on β3-Adrenoceptor Signaling in Human Retinal Endothelial and Müller Cells.
Gastric cancer cells shuttle lactate to induce inflammatory CAF-like phenotype and function in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.
ST6GalNAc-I regulates tumor cell sialylation via NECTIN2/MUC5AC-mediated immunosuppression and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer.
CPT1A/HIF-1α positive feedback loop induced fatty acid oxidation metabolic pathway contributes to the L-ascorbic acid-driven angiogenesis in breast cancer.
Cystathionine gamma-lyase-mediated hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha expression drives clear cell ovarian cancer progression.
SUMO2/3 modification of transcription-associated proteins controls cell viability in response to oxygen and glucose deprivation-mediated stress.
Inhibition of ENT1 relieves intracellular adenosine-mediated T cell suppression in cancer.

Cell Rep. 2025 May 10. pii: S2211-1247(25)00460-7. [Epub ahead of print]44(5): 115689

Cancer-induced FOXP1 disrupts and reprograms skeletal-muscle circadian transcription in cachexia.

Jeremy B Ducharme, Daria Neyroud, Martin M Schonk, Miguel A Gutierrez-Monreal, Zhiguang Huo, Haley O Tucker, Karyn A Esser, Sarah M Judge, Andrew R Judge.

  Cancer cachexia is a debilitating metabolic disorder characterized by involuntary loss of body and muscle mass, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. We previously found that forkhead box P1 (FoxP1) upregulation in skeletal muscle causes muscle wasting and is required for muscle wasting in response to cancer. However, transcriptional networks targeted by FoxP1 in skeletal muscles undergoing cancer-induced wasting remain largely unknown. Here, we identify FoxP1 as a key disruptor of the skeletal-muscle clock in response to cancer that reprograms circadian patterns of gene expression at cachexia onset. Specifically, we show that cancer-induced FoxP1 rewires the skeletal-muscle circadian transcriptome toward pathways associated with muscle wasting and disrupts the temporal patterning of pathways governing glucose, lipid, and oxidative metabolism. These findings thus implicate cancer/disease-specific functions of FOXP1 in the disruption and reprograming of the skeletal-muscle circadian transcriptome, which may contribute to muscle wasting and the development of cachexia.

Keywords:  CP: Cancer; ChIP-seq; RNA-seq; cancer cachexia; circadian rhythm; inflammation; metabolism; muscle atrophy; muscle clock; pancreatic cancer; skeletal muscle

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.115689
J Clin Oncol. 2025 May 12. JCO2301965

Randomized Phase II Study of Nab-Paclitaxel and Gemcitabine With or Without Tocilizumab as First-Line Treatment in Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: Survival and Cachexia.

Inna M Chen, Julia S Johansen, Susann Theile, Libbie M Silverman, Katherine R Pelz, Kasper Madsen, Olav Dajani, Kevin Z M Lim, Torben Lorentzen, Omnia Gaafer, Leonidas G Koniaris, Anna C Ferreira, Brian Neelon, Denis C Guttridge, Michael C Ostrowski, Teresa A Zimmers, Dorte Nielsen.

PURPOSE: This randomized phase-II trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02767557) compared efficacy of gemcitabine/nab-paclitaxel (Gem/Nab) with or without the anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antibody tocilizumab (Toc) for advanced pancreatic cancer (PC).
METHODS: A safety cohort received Gem 1,000 mg/m2 and Nab 125 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, and 15, and Toc 8 mg/kg on day 1 for each 28-day cycle. Participants with modified Glasgow prognostic scores of 1 or 2 were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive Gem/Nab/Toc or Gem/Nab. The primary end point was the overall survival (OS) rate at 6 months (OS6). Secondary end points were progression-free survival (PFS), overall response rate (ORR), and safety. Exploratory end points were cachexia, quality of life, and biomarkers, including the cachexia-promoting protein, growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15).
RESULTS: Overall, 147 patients were treated, including six safety cohort participants. The median follow-up period was 8.1 months (IQR, 4.2-13.9). OS6 was 68.6% (95% CI, 56.3 to 78.1) for the Gem/Nab/Toc group and 62.0% (49.6-72.1) for the Gem/Nab group (P = .409). OS for Gem/Nab/Toc versus Gem/Nab improved at 18 months (27.1% v 7.0%, P = .001). No differences in median OS, PFS, or ORR were observed. Incidence of grade-3+ treatment-related adverse events (TrAEs) was 88.1% for Gem/Nab/Toc and 63.4% for Gem/Nab (P < .001). Gem/Nab/Toc decreased muscle loss versus Gem/Nab, with median change +0.1013% versus -3.430% (P = .0012) at 2 months and +0.7044 versus -3.353% (P = .036) at 4 months. Incidence of muscle loss was 43.48% on Gem/Nab/Toc versus 73.52% on Gem/Nab at 2 months (P = .0045) and 41.82% versus 68.75% (P = .0062) at 4 months. GDF15 was not changed by Gem/Nab or Gem/Nab/Toc.
CONCLUSION: Although the primary end point was not met and TrAEs were increased by Toc, increased survival at 18 months and reduced muscle wasting support an anticachexia effect of IL-6 blockade independent of GDF15. Further studies could leverage these findings for precision anticachexia therapy.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.23.01965
Genes Dev. 2025 May 13.

Ribosome association inhibits stress-induced gene mRNA localization to stress granules.

Noah S Helton, Benjamin Dodd, Stephanie L Moon.

  The integrated stress response (ISR) is critical for resilience to stress and is implicated in numerous diseases. During the ISR, translation is repressed, stress-induced genes are expressed, and mRNAs condense into stress granules. The relationship between stress granules and stress-induced gene expression is unclear. We measured endogenous stress-induced gene mRNA localization at the single-molecule level in the presence or absence of small molecule translation inhibitors. Reducing ribosome association increases the localization of stress-induced gene mRNAs to stress granules, whereas increasing ribosome association inhibits their localization to stress granules. The presence of upstream open reading frames (uORFs) in mRNA reporters reduces their localization to stress granules in a ribosome-dependent manner. Furthermore, a single initiating ribosome blocks stress granule formation and inhibits mRNA association with preformed stress granules. Thus, uORF-mediated ribosome association inhibits stress-induced gene mRNA localization to stress granules, suggesting a new role for uORFs in limiting RNA condensation.

Keywords:  ATF4; GADD34; RNA localization; condensate; integrated stress response; ribosome; stress granules; stress-induced genes; translation; upstream open reading frame

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1101/gad.352899.125
Mol Cancer Res. 2025 May 16.

Mitochondrial HSP90 paralog TRAP1 deletion drives glutamine addiction in tumor cells via destablization of the Cys/Glu antiporter SLC7A11/xCT.

Abhinav Joshi, Li Dai, Marisa Maisiak, Sunmin Lee, Elizabeth Lopez, Takeshi Ito, Len Neckers.

TRAP1, the mitochondrial isoform of HSP90, has emerged as a key regulator of cancer cell metabolism, yet the mechanisms by which it rewires nutrient utilization remain poorly understood. We previously reported that TRAP1 loss increases glutamine dependency of mitochondrial respiration following glucose withdrawal. Here, we investigate how TRAP1 deletion impacts glucose metabolism and the mechanisms enabling glutamine retention to support mitochondrial respiration via reductive carboxylation and the oxidative TCA cycle. TRAP1 knockout (KO) in bladder and prostate cancer cells recapitulates the carbon source-specific metabolic rewiring previously observed. Stable isotope tracing reveals that although glucose oxidation remains functional, TRAP1 KO reduces overall glucose uptake and its contribution to glycolysis and the pentose phosphate pathway. This effect is consistent across multiple cell lines. Concurrently, TRAP1-deficient cells exhibit increased glutamine retention and reliance, potentially due to downregulation of the cystine/glutamate antiporter SLC7A11/xCT. Supporting this, xCT overexpression reduces glutamine-dependent respiration in TRAP1 KO cells. qPCR and proteasome inhibition assays suggest xCT is regulated post-translationally via protein stability. Notably, xCT suppression does not trigger ferroptosis, indicating a selective adaptation rather than induction of cell death. Together, our findings suggest that TRAP1 loss decreases glucose uptake while preserving its metabolic fate, promoting glutamine conservation through xCT downregulation to maintain mitochondrial respiration without inducing ferroptosis. Implications: These results reveal a TRAP1-dependent mechanism of metabolic rewiring in cancer cells and identify xCT-mediated glutamine conservation as a key adaptive response, underscoring TRAP1 as a potential metabolic vulnerability and therapeutic target in tumors with altered nutrient utilization.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-24-0194
Cell Commun Signal. 2025 May 13. 23(1): 223

ER stress and/or ER-phagy in drug resistance? Three coincidences are proof.

Sameer Kumar Panda, Ibone Rubio Sanchez-Pajares, Ayesha Rehman, Vitale Del Vecchio, Luigi Mele, Sandhya Chipurupalli, Nirmal Robinson, Vincenzo Desiderio.

  Cancer is influenced by the tumor microenvironment (TME), which includes factors such as pH, hypoxia, immune cells, and blood vessels. These factors affect cancer cell growth and behavior. The tumor microenvironment triggers adaptive responses such as endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, unfolded protein response (UPR), and autophagy, posing a challenge to cancer treatment. The UPR aims to restore ER homeostasis by involving key regulators inositol-requiring enzyme-1(IRE1), PKR-like ER kinase (PERK), and activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6). Additionally, ER-phagy, a selective form of autophagy, eliminates ER components under stress conditions. Understanding the interplay between hypoxia, ER stress, UPR, and autophagy in the tumor microenvironment is crucial for developing effective cancer therapies to overcome drug resistance. Targeting the components of the UPR and modulating ER-phagy could potentially improve the efficacy of existing cancer therapies. Future research should define the conditions under which ER stress responses and ER-phagy act as pro-survival versus pro-death mechanisms and develop precise methods to quantify ER-phagic flux in tumor cells.

Keywords:  Autophagy; Drug resistance; ER Stress; ER-phagy; UPR

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12964-025-02232-w
Int J Mol Sci. 2025 Apr 24. pii: 4043. [Epub ahead of print]26(9):

Hypoxia-Dependent Upregulation of VEGF Relies on β3-Adrenoceptor Signaling in Human Retinal Endothelial and Müller Cells.

Martina Lucchesi, Lorenza Di Marsico, Lorenzo Guidotti, Matteo Lulli, Luca Filippi, Silvia Marracci, Massimo Dal Monte.

  β-adrenoceptors (BARs) are involved in vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production during retinal neovascularization. Here, using human retinal endothelial and Müller cells (hRECs and MIO-M1, respectively), we evaluated the effects exerted by hypoxia on BARs, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α subunit (HIF-1α) and VEGF, as well as the involvement of BAR3 and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzymes in hypoxia-induced VEGF production. We altered oxygen availability through a hypoxic incubator. BARs, HIF-1 α and VEGF levels were evaluated. Cells were treated with the BAR3 antagonist SR59230A, different NOS inhibitors or the NO donor SNAP. The influence of the BAR3/NOS axis on hypoxic VEGF production was assessed. Hypoxia upregulated BAR3, HIF-1α and VEGF in hRECs and MIO-M1 cells. SR59230A counteracted hypoxia-dependent VEGF increase in both cell lines, exerting no effect on HIF-1α upregulation. Treatments with NOS inhibitors prevented the hypoxia-dependent VEGF increase, while SNAP abrogated the effect of SR59230A in reducing hypoxia-induced VEGF upregulation. The present results corroborate the hypothesis that in the hypoxic retina, BAR3 influence on VEGF production is mediated by NO and suggest that, at least in endothelial and Müller cells, BAR3 activity is necessary to allow the HIF-1-mediated VEGF upregulation.

Keywords:  BARs; HIF-1; MIO-M1 cells; NOS enzymes; hRECs; nitric oxide

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26094043
Mol Immunol. 2025 May 09. pii: S0161-5890(25)00122-1. [Epub ahead of print]183 93-103

Gastric cancer cells shuttle lactate to induce inflammatory CAF-like phenotype and function in bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

Feng Huang, Xiaoli Cao, Jingyu Mei, Chen Wu, Wei Zhu, Li Sun, Chun Dai, Mei Wang.

  Metabolic reprogramming, exemplified by the "Warburg effect," is a hallmark of human cancers, leading to lactate buildup in tumors. Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs), key contributors to cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), integrate into gastric cancer stroma through interactions with cancer cells. However, the role of lactate in activating BM-MSCs in this context remains unclear. Herein, exogenous lactate induced a pro-tumorigenic phenotype in BM-MSCs, which was blocked by AZD3965. Gastric cancer cells released more lactate under hypoxia than normoxia. While normoxic gastric cancer cells could educate BM-MSCs, hypoxic cells were more effective. However, the effects of the supernatant from gastric cancer cells in both conditions were significantly reduced by AZD3965. Similarly, prevention of lactate production by oxamic acid sodium significantly reduced the effects observed. Lactate-activated BM-MSCs showed NF-κB signaling activation, increased IL-8 secretion, and no change in TGF-β signaling. These activated BM-MSCs promoted gastric cancer cell migration and invasion through IL-8 secretion and enhanced resistance to CD8 + T cell cytotoxicity by upregulating PD-L1. Collectively, gastric cancer cells induce an iCAF-like phenotype and function in BM-MSCs through a lactate shuttle mechanism, emphasizing the role of metabolic reprogramming in cellular communication that fosters a supportive tumor microenvironment. Targeting lactate-related pathways may provide new therapeutic strategies to hinder BM-MSCs' supportive roles in gastric cancer.

Keywords:  Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells; Cancer-associated fibroblasts; Gastric cancer; Lactate; Tumor microenvironment

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.molimm.2025.05.002
J Clin Invest. 2025 May 15. pii: e186863. [Epub ahead of print]135(10):

ST6GalNAc-I regulates tumor cell sialylation via NECTIN2/MUC5AC-mediated immunosuppression and angiogenesis in non-small cell lung cancer.

Muthamil Iniyan Appadurai, Sanjib Chaudhary, Ashu Shah, Gopalakrishnan Natarajan, Zahraa W Alsafwani, Parvez Khan, Dhananjay D Shinde, Subodh M Lele, Lynette M Smith, Mohd Wasim Nasser, Surinder Kumar Batra, Apar Kishor Ganti, Imayavaramban Lakshmanan.

  Glycosylation controls immune evasion, tumor progression, and metastasis. However, how tumor cell sialylation regulates immune evasion remains poorly characterized. ST6GalNAc-I, a sialyltransferase that conjugates sialic acid to the glycans in glycoproteins, was overexpressed in an aggressive-type KPA (KrasG12D/+ Trp53R172H/+ Ad-Cre) lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) model and patient samples. Proteomic and biochemical analysis indicated that ST6GalNAc-I mediated NECTIN2 sialylation in LUAD cells. ST6GalNAc-I-deficient tumor cells cocultured with T cells were more susceptible to T cell-mediated tumor cell killing, indicating a key role for NECTIN2 in T cell dysfunction. Mice injected with St6galnac-I-knockdown syngeneic cells showed reduced lung tumor incidence and Nectin2/Tigit-associated immunosuppression. ST6GalNAc-I-deficient cells exhibited reduced P-DMEA metabolite levels, while administration of P-DMEA promoted LUAD cell proliferation via MUC5AC. MUC5AC interacted and colocalized with PRRC1 in the Golgi, suggesting a potential role for PRRC1 in MUC5AC glycosylation. Mice injected with ST6GalNAc-I/MUC5AC-deficient cells (human LUAD) exhibited reduced lung tumor incidence, angiogenesis, and liver metastases. Mechanistically, ST6GalNAc-I/MUC5AC regulates VCAN-V1, a key factor in tumor matrix remodeling during angiogenesis and metastasis. These findings demonstrate that ST6GalNAc-I-mediated sialylation of NECTIN2/MUC5AC is critical for immune evasion and tumor angiogenesis. Targeting this pathway may prevent LUAD development and/or metastasis.

Keywords:  Angiogenesis; Cell biology; Glycobiology; Immunology; Lung cancer; Oncology

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI186863
Breast Cancer Res. 2025 May 12. 27(1): 74

CPT1A/HIF-1α positive feedback loop induced fatty acid oxidation metabolic pathway contributes to the L-ascorbic acid-driven angiogenesis in breast cancer.

Xiao Ma, Baojian Zhang, Xuezhe Yin, ShiPeng Yang, Zhenhua Lin, Yang Yang, Xianchun Zhou.

   BACKGROUND: In tumors rich in adipose tissue, angiogenesis is a critical factor in promoting cancer cell metastasis. However, the connection between angiogenesis and the mechanisms driving adipose metabolic remodeling in breast cancer (BC) remains insufficiently understood. This research seeks to explore whether and how CPT1A, a crucial rate-limiting enzyme in fatty acid oxidation (FAO), supports angiogenesis through metabolic pathways in BC.
METHODS: First, cell functional assays and animal models were employed to elucidate the pro-carcinogenic effects of CPT1A on BC and its role in metabolic alterations. Following this, the reciprocal regulatory relationship between CPT1A and HIF-1α was elucidated using transcriptomic studies, ubiquitination analysis, and dual-luciferase assays. Matrigel tube formation assays, vasculogenic mimicry assays, and chick chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) assays were utilized to evaluate the effect of CPT1A on the pro-angiogenic properties of BC. Subsequently, untargeted metabolomics was employed to identify specific metabolic changes in supernatants with and without CPT1A expression and verified by functional recovery experiments. Finally, the prognostic significance of CPT1A and the vascular marker VEGF in BC tissues was evaluated using tissue microarrays and public databases.
RESULTS: CPT1A overexpression significantly enhanced cell proliferation, motility, and angiogenesis via activating the FAO metabolic pathway, as demonstrated by both in vivo and in vitro experiments. Mechanistically, CPT1A regulates the ubiquitination level of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α), which directly binds to the CPT1A promoter. Mutations at the 63-74 and 434-445 regions significantly reduced CPT1A promoter activity, indicating that these sites are critical for its transcriptional regulation. Ultimately, this interaction creates a reinforcing feedback loop between CPT1A and HIF-1α. Subsequently, this feedback loop alters changes in extracellular L-ascorbic acid (LAA) levels. Interestingly, LAA affects ROS homeostasis through the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway, specifically influencing angiogenesis in BC and HUVECs, while having no significant effect on their proliferation or EMT process. Moreover, increased expression levels of CPT1A and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were significantly associated with lymph node metastasis and adverse outcomes in BC patients.
CONCLUSION: The CPT1A/HIF-1α positive feedback loop critically regulates angiogenesis through activation of the Nrf2/NQO1 pathway, modulated by LAA. These findings highlight CPT1A and VEGF as promising therapeutic targets and prognostic biomarkers for angiogenesis in BC.

Keywords:  Angiogenesis; Breast cancer; CPT1A/HIF-1α; Fatty acid oxidation; L-ascorbic acid; VEGF

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-025-02039-0
J Pathol. 2025 May 15.

Cystathionine gamma-lyase-mediated hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha expression drives clear cell ovarian cancer progression.

Amal M El-Naggar, Yuqin Li, Busra Turgu, Yuchen Ding, Longyijie Wei, Shary Yuting Chen, Genny Trigo-Gonzalez, Forouh Kalantari, Rodrigo Vallejos, Branden Lynch, Janine Senz, Amy Lum, J Maxwell Douglas, Clara Salamanca, Shelby Thornton, Yimei Qin, Kiran Parmar, Sandra E Spencer, Samuel Leung, Michelle Mm Woo, Paul J Yong, Hai-Feng Zhang, Christopher S Hughes, Gian Luca Negri, Yemin Wang, Gregg B Morin, Poul H Sorensen, David G Huntsman.

  Clear cell ovarian cancer (CCOC) is the second most common ovarian cancer subtype, accounting for 5%-11% of ovarian cancers in North America. Late-stage CCOC is associated with a worse prognosis compared to other ovarian cancer histotypes, a challenge that has seen limited progress in recent decades. CCOC typically originates within the toxic microenvironment of endometriotic ovarian cysts and is characterized by its intrinsic chemoresistance, a strong hypoxic signature, and abundant expression of cystathionine gamma-lyase (CTH). CTH is a key enzyme in the transsulfuration pathway and serves as a marker of ciliated cells derived from the Müllerian tract. CTH plays a pivotal role in de novo cysteine synthesis, which is essential for glutathione (GSH) production and redox homeostasis. Using an array of molecular tools and cancer models, including in vivo studies, we demonstrated that CTH expression was induced under various stress conditions, such as exposure to endometriotic cyst content and hypoxia. This induction enables cell survival and creates a differentiation state manifested by CCOC that potentiates tumor progression and metastasis. In addition to regulating redox homeostasis, CTH enhances hypoxia inducible factor 1-alpha (HIF1α) expression, independently of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) production. Re-expression of HIF1α in CTH KO cells fully restored metastatic capacity in in vivo models. Co-expression of CTH and HIF1α proteins was also observed in human CCOC samples. Importantly, targeting CTH in CCOC significantly reduced its metastatic potential in in vivo models and enhanced sensitivity to chemotherapy. These findings underscore that CTH is both a defining feature of CCOC and a promising therapeutic target, not only for CCOC patients but also for those with other CTH-expressing cancers. © 2025 The Author(s). The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.

Keywords:  CCOC; CTH; H2S; HIF1α; chemoresistant; endometriosis; hypoxia; metastatic progression; redox regulation

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/path.6433
Cell Death Discov. 2025 May 10. 11(1): 230

SUMO2/3 modification of transcription-associated proteins controls cell viability in response to oxygen and glucose deprivation-mediated stress.

Francisco Gallardo-Chamizo, Román González-Prieto, Vahid Jafari, Noelia Luna-Peláez, Alfred C O Vertegaal, Mario García-Domínguez.

Because limited oxygen and glucose supply to tissues is a serious challenge that cells must properly measure to decide between surviving or triggering cell death, organisms have developed accurate mechanisms for sensing and signaling these conditions. In recent years, signaling through posttranslational modification of proteins by covalent attachment of the Small Ubiquitin-like Modifier (SUMO) is gaining notoriety. Enhanced sumoylation in response to oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) constitutes a safeguard mechanism for cells and a new avenue for therapeutic intervention. However, indiscriminate global sumoylation can limit the therapeutic potential that a more precise action on selected targets would have. To clear up this, we have conducted a proteomic approach in P19 cells to identify specific SUMO targets responding to OGD and to investigate the potential that these targets and their sumoylation have in preserving cells from death. Proteins undergoing sumoylation in response to OGD are mostly related to transcription and RNA processing, and the majority of them are rapidly desumoylated when restoring oxygen and glucose (ROG), confirming the high dynamics of this modification. Since OGD is linked to brain ischemia, we have also studied cells differentiated into neurons. However, no major differences have been observed between the SUMO-proteomes of proliferating and differentiated cells. We show that the overexpression of the transcription factor SOX2 or the SUMO ligase PIAS4 has a manifest cell protective effect largely depending on their sumoylation, and that maintaining the sumoylation capacity of the coregulator NAB2 is also important to face OGD. Conversely, sumoylation of the pluripotency factor OCT4, which is sumoylated under OGD, and is a target of the SUMO protease SENP7 for desumoylation after ROG, seems to block its cell survival-promoting capacity. Thus, better outcomes in cell protection would rely on the appropriate combination of sumoylated and non-sumoylated forms of selected factors.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41420-025-02513-w
Nat Immunol. 2025 May 12.

Inhibition of ENT1 relieves intracellular adenosine-mediated T cell suppression in cancer.

Theodore J Sanders, Christopher S Nabel, Margreet Brouwer, Annelise L Hermant, Lucas Chaible, Jean-Philippe Deglasse, Nicolas Rosewick, Angélique Pabois, Wilfried Cathou, Aurore Smets, Michael Deligny, João Marchante, Quentin Dubray, Marie-Claire Letellier, Chiara Martinoli, Reece Marillier, Olivier De Henau, Yvonne McGrath, Matthew G Vander Heiden, Erica Houthuys.

The benefit of immune checkpoint blockade for cancer therapy is limited to subsets of patients because of factors including the accumulation of immunosuppressive metabolites, such as adenosine, within tumors. Pharmacological inhibition of adenosine generation and signaling is an active area of clinical investigation, but only limited clinical benefit has been reported. Here, we show that adenosine suppresses anti-cancer T cell responses following uptake into activated T cells by equilibrative nucleoside transporter 1 (ENT1) and inhibition of de novo pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis. We identify EOS301984 as a potent ENT1 antagonist that restores pyrimidine levels in activated T cells in adenosine-rich environments, resulting in enhanced tumor cell killing by memory T cells and increased ex vivo expansion of functional human tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes. A combination of EOS301984 with anti-PD-1 led to synergistic control of tumor growth in a humanized mouse model of triple-negative breast cancer. ENT1 inhibition, therefore, augments anti-cancer immune responses through the restoration of pyrimidine nucleotide synthesis in T cells suppressed by adenosine.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-025-02153-3