Serglycin Drives LAG3+ Treg Differentiation and Immunosuppression in Gastric Cancer

Cancer Res. 2026 May 15;86(10):2395-2413. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-25-3071.

Abstract

The enrichment of CD4+ regulatory T cells (Treg) drives gastric cancer immunosuppression. Revealing the underlying mechanisms driving Treg differentiation could help develop strategies to stimulate antitumor immunity. Serglycin (SRGN), derived from tumor cells, facilitates tumor progression in gastric cancer primarily via its receptor CD44, which is highly expressed in T cells, especially Tregs. This study investigated the immunomodulatory functions of tumor cell-derived SRGN in gastric cancer. Analysis of an integrated single-cell RNA sequencing dataset of 23 paired gastric cancer tissues and adjacent normal gastric mucosa tissues revealed that Tregs were enriched in the gastric cancer tissues and associated with SRGN levels. Functionally, SRGN promoted differentiation of a specific subset of lymphocyte activation gene 3 (LAG3)-positive Tregs and maintained their suppressive function by activating the CD44-TGFβRI-SMAD3 signaling pathway. Mechanistically, SRGN-CD44 signaling triggered glycolysis and facilitated reactive oxygen species clearance, which attenuated the oxidative modification at the LAG3 methionine 171 site. Reduced oxidation led to enhanced LAG3 dimerization while disrupting the interaction with PELI1 to suppress K48-linked ubiquitination and degradation of LAG3, leading to LAG3 upregulation in Tregs. Blocking SRGN-CD44 signaling suppressed LAG3+ Treg differentiation and function, relieved immunosuppression, and inhibited tumor progression. Collectively, these findings identify a SRGN-CD44-mediated glycolysis-oxidation-ubiquitination cascade that functions as a critical driver of LAG3+ Treg differentiation in gastric cancer and provide preclinical evidence for targeting this axis to improve immunotherapeutic efficacy.

Significance: Serglycin-CD44 signaling orchestrates metabolic reprogramming and suppresses LAG3 ubiquitination to drive LAG3+ Treg differentiation, unveiling a key axis driving of Treg-mediated immunosuppression and identifying a potential therapeutic target for gastric cancer immunotherapy.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigens, CD* / genetics
  • Antigens, CD* / immunology
  • Antigens, CD* / metabolism
  • Cell Differentiation / immunology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Humans
  • Hyaluronan Receptors / metabolism
  • Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Protein
  • Mice
  • Proteoglycans* / genetics
  • Proteoglycans* / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / genetics
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / metabolism
  • Stomach Neoplasms* / pathology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* / immunology
  • T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory* / metabolism
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins* / genetics
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins* / metabolism

Substances

  • Lymphocyte Activation Gene 3 Protein
  • serglycin
  • Proteoglycans
  • Antigens, CD
  • Vesicular Transport Proteins
  • Hyaluronan Receptors