CAF-derived LRRC15 orchestrates macrophage polarization and limits PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy in glioblastoma
Menée notamment à l'aide de modèles murins de glioblastome et à partir d'une analyse bioinformatique de données transcriptomiques, cette étude met en évidence un mécanisme par lequel la protéine membranaire LRCC15 des fibroblastes CAF organise la polarisation des macrophages et limite l'efficacité des anti-PD1
Background : The effectiveness of PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint blockade therapy in glioblastoma (GBM) is limited due to the tumor immunosuppressive microenvironment (TIME). Therefore, strategies of reprogramming TIME to a proinflammatory state offers a promising therapeutic approach.
Methods : We applied bioinformatics analysis of single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and spatial transcriptomics (stRNA-seq) to identify a significant accumulation of a cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) subcluster with elevated LRRC15 expression in the nonresponders to anti-PD-1 therapy. Molecular mechanism of LRRC15 were functionally validated in vitro and in vivo.
Results : These CAFs subcluster drive the infiltration of macrophages (M
φ) into the tumor microenvironment and promote their polarization toward the M2 phenotype. Deletion of Lrrc15 in CAFs significantly restrained tumor growth and prolonged survival in mouse models. Mechanistically, LRRC15 in CAFs promotes IL8 expression by activating the downstream FAK/SRC/NF-κB pathways, leading to Mφ migration and M2-like polarization. In turn, M2-like Mφs secrete TGF-β, which induces LRRC15 expression in CAFs via SMAD2-dependent transcriptional activation. Targeting CAFs subcluster with elevated LRRC15 expression in combination with anti-PD-1 treatment enhanced antitumor efficacy.
Conclusions
:
Our findings suggest that targeting LRRC15 may provide a novel strategy to augment anti-PD-1 therapy and overcome immunotherapy resistance in GBM.
Neuro-Oncology , résumé, 2025