| First Author | Wang Y | Year | 2026 |
| Journal | Cell Rep | Volume | 45 |
| Issue | 3 | Pages | 117035 |
| PubMed ID | 41758652 | Mgi Jnum | J:383183 |
| Mgi Id | MGI:8320134 | Doi | 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117035 |
| Citation | Wang Y, et al. (2026) Metabolic reinvigoration of NK cells by IL-21 enhances immunotherapy against MHC class I-deficient solid tumors. Cell Rep 45(3):117035 |
| abstractText | Natural killer (NK) cells, a type of potent cytotoxic lymphocyte, are particularly promising for the treatment of cancers that lose or downregulate major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC class I) expression to evade T cell-mediated immunotherapy. However, the hostile and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) greatly hinders the function of tumor-infiltrating NK cells, thus limiting the therapeutic efficacy. Here, we show a fusion protein of interleukin 21 (IL-21-Fc) that safely and effectively reprograms NK cell metabolism and restores their effector function in vivo. IL-21-Fc synergizes with IL-15 superagonist (IL-15SA) or adoptive NK cell transfer to eradicate MHC class I-deficient tumors and confer durable protection across multiple murine models. Mechanistically, we uncover that IL-21-Fc enhances NK cell effector function by upregulating glycolysis in a lactate dehydrogenase A (LDHA)-dependent manner. This study reveals LDHA-dependent metabolic reprogramming as a key axis for NK cell rejuvenation and positions IL-21-Fc as a promising, clinically translatable strategy to overcome TME-mediated suppression in solid tumors. |
