Ju Xiaoman, Putz Eva Maria, Liu Yaqi, Yuan Dongchen, Sun Guowei, Koda Stephane, Fu Zhuo, Shao Simin, Tong Chunrong, Deng Biping, Hu Jing, Yan Juming
Department of Pathogen Biology and Immunology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Jiangsu International Laboratory of Immunity and Metabolism, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Center for Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 1;16(1):5874. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-60922-y.
Metabotropic glutamate receptor 4 (mGluR4, encoded by Grm4), is a neurotransmitter receptor, known to play roles in tumor progression and immune modulation through the nervous system. Here we show that mGluR4 may regulate immune responses in the tumor microenvironment (TME) also via non-neuronal mechanisms. We observe that dendritic cells (DC) from mGluR4-deficient mice display enhanced migration, maturation and antigen-presentation capacity, which promote T cell and NK cell responses against tumor cells. Tumor growth and metastases are suppressed in Grm4 mice in different preclinical tumor models, including orthotopic liver cancer, subcutaneous melanoma, colorectal tumors, and fibrosarcoma. We show that the tumor suppressive effect of Grm4-deficiency requires host immunity, in particular CD8 T cells, NK cells, and IFNγ, but independent of the nervous system. Single-cell RNA-sequencing and ex vivo assays show changes in the composition and functional state of the immune TME. Mechanistically, mGluR4 suppresses the adenyl cyclase/PKA signaling pathway, leading to metabolic reprogramming of DCs. Importantly, adoptive transfer of DCs pretreated with the AC agonist forskolin therapeutically suppressed tumor growth in an orthotopic liver cancer model. Our study thus demonstrates that mGluR4 is a checkpoint for DC maturation and that mGluR4 may serve as an immunotherapeutic target.
代谢型谷氨酸受体4(mGluR4,由Grm4编码)是一种神经递质受体,已知其通过神经系统在肿瘤进展和免疫调节中发挥作用。在此我们表明,mGluR4也可能通过非神经元机制调节肿瘤微环境(TME)中的免疫反应。我们观察到,来自mGluR4缺陷小鼠的树突状细胞(DC)表现出增强的迁移、成熟和抗原呈递能力,这促进了T细胞和NK细胞对肿瘤细胞的反应。在不同的临床前肿瘤模型中,包括原位肝癌、皮下黑色素瘤、结直肠癌和纤维肉瘤,Grm4小鼠的肿瘤生长和转移受到抑制。我们表明,Grm4缺陷的肿瘤抑制作用需要宿主免疫,特别是CD8 T细胞、NK细胞和IFNγ,但独立于神经系统。单细胞RNA测序和体外试验显示了免疫TME的组成和功能状态的变化。从机制上讲,mGluR4抑制腺苷酸环化酶/PKA信号通路,导致DC的代谢重编程。重要的是,在原位肝癌模型中,用AC激动剂福司可林预处理的DC的过继转移在治疗上抑制了肿瘤生长。因此,我们的研究表明,mGluR4是DC成熟的一个检查点,并且mGluR4可能作为一个免疫治疗靶点。
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