One-carbon metabolism is distinct metabolic signature for proliferative intermediate exhausted T cells of ICB-resistant cancer patients

Abstract

One-carbon metabolism (1CM) has been reported to promote cancer progression across various malignancies. While 1CM is critical for cell proliferation by enhancing nucleotide synthesis, its physiological roles within different cell types in the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) still remain unclear. In this study, we analyzed bulk-RNA sequencing and single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data from lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) patients to elucidate the functional roles of 1CM within the TIME. Moreover, we examined scRNA-seq data from patients treated with immunotherapy across various cancers, including LUAD, glioblastoma, renal cell carcinoma, colorectal cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer. Compared to other cell types, 1CM gene profiles are significantly enriched in a specific subset of T cells. Intriguingly, these high-1CM T cells are identified as proliferative intermediate exhausted T cells (Tex^int). Furthermore, these proliferative Tex^int received the most robust CD137 signaling. Consistently, analysis of scRNA-seq data from LUAD patients undergoing anti-PD1 immunotherapy demonstrated that proliferative Tex^int exhibited higher 1CM scores and increased CD137 signaling. This observation was particularly pronounced in non-responders to immunotherapy, where the Tex^int population was significantly expanded. We further established that 1CM is a prominent signaling pathway in proliferative Tex^int in patients resistant to immunotherapy across multiple cancer types. Collectively, we identify CD137 signaling as a distinctive pathway in proliferative Tex^int of LUAD patients who do not respond to immunotherapy. These findings propose that targeting 1CM may represent a novel therapeutic strategy to enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy by mitigating Tex^int proliferation in diverse cancers.