Zhou Xiaowen, Li Yang, Zhang Xiangrui, Li Beibei, Jin Shengzhe, Wu Menghan, Zhou Xiuman, Dong Qingyu, Du Jiangfeng, Zhai Wenjie, Wu Yahong, Qiu Lu, Li Guodong, Qi Yuanming, Zhao Wenshan, Gao Yanfeng
School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, China.
School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Shenzhen), Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen Campus, Shenzhen, 518107, China.
Sci China Life Sci. 2024 May;67(5):996-1009. doi: 10.1007/s11427-023-2472-4. Epub 2024 Feb 1.
The immune checkpoint TIGIT/PVR blockade exhibits significant antitumor effects through activation of NK and CD8 T cell-mediated cytotoxicity. Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) could induce tumor ferroptosis through IFN-γ released by immune cells, indicating the synergetic effects of ICB with ferroptosis in inhibiting tumor growth. However, the development of TIGIT/PVR inhibitors with ferroptosis-inducing effects has not been explored yet. In this study, the small molecule Hemin that could bind with TIGIT to block TIGIT/PVR interaction was screened by virtual molecular docking and cell-based blocking assay. Hemin could effectively restore the IL-2 secretion from Jurkat-hTIGIT cells. Hemin reinvigorated the function of CD8 T cells to secrete IFN-γ and the elevated IFN-γ could synergize with Hemin to induce ferroptosis in tumor cells. Hemin inhibited tumor growth by boosting CD8 T cell immune response and inducing ferroptosis in CT26 tumor model. More importantly, Hemin in combination with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade exhibited more effective antitumor efficacy in anti-PD-1 resistant B16 tumor model. In summary, our finding indicated that Hemin blocked TIGIT/PVR interaction and induced tumor cell ferroptosis, which provided a new therapeutic strategy to combine immunotherapy and ferroptosis for cancer treatment.
免疫检查点TIGIT/PVR阻断通过激活自然杀伤细胞(NK)和CD8 T细胞介导的细胞毒性发挥显著的抗肿瘤作用。免疫检查点阻断(ICB)可通过免疫细胞释放的γ干扰素(IFN-γ)诱导肿瘤铁死亡,提示ICB与铁死亡在抑制肿瘤生长方面具有协同作用。然而,具有诱导铁死亡作用的TIGIT/PVR抑制剂的研发尚未得到探索。在本研究中,通过虚拟分子对接和基于细胞的阻断实验筛选出可与TIGIT结合以阻断TIGIT/PVR相互作用的小分子血红素。血红素可有效恢复Jurkat-hTIGIT细胞中白细胞介素-2(IL-2)的分泌。血红素可恢复CD8 T细胞分泌IFN-γ的功能,升高的IFN-γ可与血红素协同诱导肿瘤细胞发生铁死亡。在CT26肿瘤模型中,血红素通过增强CD8 T细胞免疫反应和诱导铁死亡来抑制肿瘤生长。更重要的是,在抗程序性死亡蛋白-1(PD-1)耐药的B16肿瘤模型中,血红素联合PD-1/程序性死亡配体-1(PD-L1)阻断表现出更有效的抗肿瘤疗效。总之,我们的研究结果表明,血红素可阻断TIGIT/PVR相互作用并诱导肿瘤细胞铁死亡,这为联合免疫治疗和铁死亡用于癌症治疗提供了一种新的治疗策略。
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