| First Author | Scharping NE | Year | 2016 |
| Journal | Immunity | Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 2 | Pages | 374-88 |
| PubMed ID | 27496732 | Mgi Jnum | J:258953 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:6140845 | Doi | 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.07.009 |
| Citation | Scharping NE, et al. (2016) The Tumor Microenvironment Represses T Cell Mitochondrial Biogenesis to Drive Intratumoral T Cell Metabolic Insufficiency and Dysfunction. Immunity 45(2):374-88 |
| abstractText | 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 1alpha (PGC1alpha), which programs mitochondrial biogenesis, induced by chronic Akt signaling in tumor-specific T cells. Reprogramming tumor-specific T cells through enforced expression of PGC1alpha 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. |
