Published November 18, 2022 | Version v1
Journal article Open

Aberrant hyperexpression of the RNA binding protein FMRP in tumors mediates immune evasion

  • 1. Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research (ISREC), School of Life Sciences, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
  • 2. Institute of Pathology, University of Bern
  • 3. Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
  • 4. Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne
  • 5. Children's National Medical Center, Center for Cancer and Immunology Research, Washington D.C., United States
  • 6. Institute of Bioengineering, School of Engineering, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), Lausanne, Switzerland
  • 7. Department for BioMedical Research, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
  • 8. Department of Oncology, University Hospital of Lausanne (CHUV), Lausanne, Switzerland

Description

Many human cancers manifest the capability to circumvent attack by the adaptive immune system. In this work, we identified a component of immune evasion that involves frequent up-regulation of fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) in solid tumors. FMRP represses immune attack, as revealed by cancer cells engineered to lack its expression. FMRP-deficient tumors were infiltrated by activated T cells that impaired tumor growth and enhanced survival in mice. Mechanistically, FMRP’s immunosuppression was multifactorial, involving repression of the chemoattractant C-C motif chemokine ligand 7 (CCL7) concomitant with up-regulation of three immunomodulators—interleukin-33 (IL-33), protein S (PROS1), and extracellular vesicles. Gene signatures associate FMRP’s cancer network with poor prognosis and response to therapy in cancer patients. Collectively, FMRP is implicated as a regulator that orchestrates a multifaceted barrier to antitumor immune responses.

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