Glycogen synthase kinase 3 controls T-cell exhaustion by regulating NFAT activation

Abstract

Cellular immunity mediated by CD8⁺ T cells plays an indispensable role in bacterial and viral clearance and cancers. However, persistent antigen stimulation of CD8⁺ T cells leads to an exhausted or dysfunctional cellular state characterized by the loss of effector function and high expression of inhibitory receptors during chronic viral infection and in tumors. Numerous studies have shown that glycogen synthase kinase 3 (GSK3) controls the function and development of immune cells, but whether GSK3 affects CD8⁺ T cells is not clearly elucidated. Here, we demonstrate that mice with deletion of Gsk3α and Gsk3β in activated CD8⁺ T cells (DKO) exhibited decreased CTL differentiation and effector function during acute and chronic viral infection. In addition, DKO mice failed to control tumor growth due to the upregulated expression of inhibitory receptors and augmented T-cell exhaustion in tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ T cells. Strikingly, anti-PD-1 immunotherapy substantially restored tumor rejection in DKO mice. Mechanistically, GSK3 regulates T-cell exhaustion by suppressing TCR-induced nuclear import of NFAT, thereby in turn dampening NFAT-mediated exhaustion-related gene expression, including TOX/TOX2 and PD-1. Thus, we uncovered the molecular mechanisms underlying GSK3 regulation of CTL differentiation and T-cell exhaustion in anti-tumor immune responses.

Keywords: Anti-tumor immunity; GSK3; Inhibitory receptors; T-cell exhaustion; Viral infection.