Serine enrichment in tumors promotes regulatory T cell accumulation through sphinganine-mediated regulation of c-Fos

Abstract

CD4⁺ regulatory T (T_reg) cells accumulate in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and suppress the immune system. Whether and how metabolite availability in the TME influences T_reg cell differentiation is not understood. Here, we measured 630 metabolites in the TME and found that serine and palmitic acid, substrates required for the synthesis of sphingolipids, were enriched. A serine-free diet or a deficiency in Sptlc2, the rate-limiting enzyme catalyzing sphingolipid synthesis, suppressed T_reg cell accumulation and inhibited tumor growth. Sphinganine, an intermediate metabolite in sphingolipid synthesis, physically interacted with the transcription factor c-Fos. Sphinganine c-Fos interactions enhanced the genome-wide recruitment of c-Fos to regions near the transcription start sites of target genes including Pdcd1 (encoding PD-1), which promoted Pdcd1 transcription and increased inducible T_reg cell differentiation in vitro in a PD-1–dependent manner. Thus, Sptlc2-mediated sphingolipid synthesis translates the extracellular information of metabolite availability into nuclear signals for T_reg cell differentiation and limits antitumor immunity.