Zhengnan Cai, Wan Li, Sonja Hager, Jayne Louise Wilson, Leila Afjehi-Sadat, Elke H. Heiss, Thomas Weichhart, Petra Heffeter, Wolfram Weckwerth
{"title":"Targeting PHGDH reverses the immunosuppressive phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages through α-ketoglutarate and mTORC1 signaling","authors":"Zhengnan Cai, Wan Li, Sonja Hager, Jayne Louise Wilson, Leila Afjehi-Sadat, Elke H. Heiss, Thomas Weichhart, Petra Heffeter, Wolfram Weckwerth","doi":"10.1038/s41423-024-01134-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) has emerged as a crucial factor in macromolecule synthesis, neutralizing oxidative stress, and regulating methylation reactions in cancer cells, lymphocytes, and endothelial cells. However, the role of PHGDH in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is poorly understood. Here, we found that the T helper 2 (Th2) cytokine interleukin-4 and tumor-conditioned media upregulate the expression of PHGDH in macrophages and promote immunosuppressive M2 macrophage activation and proliferation. Loss of PHGDH disrupts cellular metabolism and mitochondrial respiration, which are essential for immunosuppressive macrophages. Mechanistically, PHGDH-mediated serine biosynthesis promotes α-ketoglutarate production, which activates mTORC1 signaling and contributes to the maintenance of an M2-like macrophage phenotype in the tumor microenvironment. Genetic ablation of PHGDH in macrophages from tumor-bearing mice results in attenuated tumor growth, reduced TAM infiltration, a phenotypic shift of M2-like TAMs toward an M1-like phenotype, downregulated PD-L1 expression and enhanced antitumor T-cell immunity. Our study provides a strong basis for further exploration of PHGDH as a potential target to counteract TAM-mediated immunosuppression and hinder tumor progression.","PeriodicalId":9950,"journal":{"name":"Cellular &Molecular Immunology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":21.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-024-01134-0.pdf","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cellular &Molecular Immunology","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s41423-024-01134-0","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"IMMUNOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase (PHGDH) has emerged as a crucial factor in macromolecule synthesis, neutralizing oxidative stress, and regulating methylation reactions in cancer cells, lymphocytes, and endothelial cells. However, the role of PHGDH in tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) is poorly understood. Here, we found that the T helper 2 (Th2) cytokine interleukin-4 and tumor-conditioned media upregulate the expression of PHGDH in macrophages and promote immunosuppressive M2 macrophage activation and proliferation. Loss of PHGDH disrupts cellular metabolism and mitochondrial respiration, which are essential for immunosuppressive macrophages. Mechanistically, PHGDH-mediated serine biosynthesis promotes α-ketoglutarate production, which activates mTORC1 signaling and contributes to the maintenance of an M2-like macrophage phenotype in the tumor microenvironment. Genetic ablation of PHGDH in macrophages from tumor-bearing mice results in attenuated tumor growth, reduced TAM infiltration, a phenotypic shift of M2-like TAMs toward an M1-like phenotype, downregulated PD-L1 expression and enhanced antitumor T-cell immunity. Our study provides a strong basis for further exploration of PHGDH as a potential target to counteract TAM-mediated immunosuppression and hinder tumor progression.
期刊介绍:
Cellular & Molecular Immunology, a monthly journal from the Chinese Society of Immunology and the University of Science and Technology of China, serves as a comprehensive platform covering both basic immunology research and clinical applications. The journal publishes a variety of article types, including Articles, Review Articles, Mini Reviews, and Short Communications, focusing on diverse aspects of cellular and molecular immunology.