Arf1-mediated lipid metabolism sustains cancer cells and its ablation induces anti-tumor immune responses in mice

Author:

Wang,Guohao

Xu, Junji

Zhao, Jiangsha

Yin, Weiqin

Liu, Dayong

Chen, WanJun

Hou, Steven X
Author Address

The Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA., Mucosal Immunology Section, Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892, USA., The Basic Research Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute at Frederick, National Institutes of Health, Frederick, MD, 21702, USA. hous@mail.nih.gov.,

Abstract:

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) may be responsible for treatment resistance, tumor metastasis, and disease recurrence. Here we demonstrate that the Arf1-mediated lipid metabolism sustains cells enriched with CSCs and its ablation induces anti-tumor immune responses in mice. Notably, Arf1 ablation in cancer cells induces mitochondrial defects, endoplasmic-reticulum stress, and the release of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs), which recruit and activate dendritic cells (DCs) at tumor sites. The activated immune system finally elicits antitumor immune surveillance by stimulating T-cell infiltration and activation. Furthermore, TCGA data analysis shows an inverse correlation between Arf1 expression and T-cell infiltration and activation along with patient survival in various human cancers. Our results reveal that Arf1-pathway knockdown not only kills CSCs but also elicits a tumor-specific immune response that converts dying CSCs into a therapeutic vaccine, leading to durable benefits.

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