Department of Pediatrics and the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Department of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA.
Cell Rep. 2021 Jun 15;35(11):109235. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109235.
T regulatory (Treg) cells are crucial to maintain immune tolerance and repress antitumor immunity, but the mechanisms governing their cellular redox homeostasis remain elusive. We report that glutathione peroxidase 4 (Gpx4) prevents Treg cells from lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis in regulating immune homeostasis and antitumor immunity. Treg-specific deletion of Gpx4 impairs immune homeostasis without substantially affecting survival of Treg cells at steady state. Loss of Gpx4 results in excessive accumulation of lipid peroxides and ferroptosis of Treg cells upon T cell receptor (TCR)/CD28 co-stimulation. Neutralization of lipid peroxides and blockade of iron availability rescue ferroptosis of Gpx4-deficient Treg cells. Moreover, Gpx4-deficient Treg cells elevate generation of mitochondrial superoxide and production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) that facilitates T helper 17 (T17) responses. Furthermore, Treg-specific ablation of Gpx4 represses tumor growth and concomitantly potentiates antitumor immunity. Our studies establish a crucial role for Gpx4 in protecting activated Treg cells from lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis and offer a potential therapeutic strategy to improve cancer treatment.
调节性 T 细胞(Treg)对于维持免疫耐受和抑制抗肿瘤免疫至关重要,但调节其细胞氧化还原稳态的机制仍不清楚。我们报告谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶 4(Gpx4)可防止 Treg 细胞发生脂质过氧化和铁死亡,从而调节免疫稳态和抗肿瘤免疫。Treg 细胞特异性敲除 Gpx4 会损害免疫稳态,但在稳态下不会显著影响 Treg 细胞的存活。Gpx4 缺失会导致 T 细胞受体(TCR)/CD28 共刺激时 Treg 细胞内脂质过氧化物的过度积累和铁死亡。中和脂质过氧化物和阻断铁的可用性可挽救 Gpx4 缺陷型 Treg 细胞的铁死亡。此外,Gpx4 缺陷型 Treg 细胞会增加线粒体超氧化物的产生和白细胞介素-1β(IL-1β)的产生,从而促进辅助性 T 细胞 17(T17)反应。此外,Gpx4 特异性敲除可抑制肿瘤生长,并同时增强抗肿瘤免疫。我们的研究确立了 Gpx4 在保护激活的 Treg 细胞免受脂质过氧化和铁死亡中的关键作用,并为改善癌症治疗提供了一种潜在的治疗策略。
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