Inhibiting B cells enhances the efficacy of STING agonism or immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Nature communications
Authors
Abstract

Most patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) develop resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) or STING agonists despite their immune-stimulating activities. Here, we identify increased intratumoral B-cell infiltration as a mediator of acquired resistance. In HCC models with liver fibrosis in male mice, anti-PD-1 ICB or the STING agonist BMS-986301 increase intratumoral B-cell infiltration, circulating IL-10, and TIM-1 B-cells, promoting tertiary lymphoid structure formation. B-cell depletion combined with ICB or STING agonism improves survival, and STING agonism inhibits distant metastasis. In addition, co-targeting STING and TIM-1 enhances B-cell differentiation and antigen presentation, reduces intratumoral TIM-1 B-cells, and increases CD86 and MHC class II expression, thereby augmenting CD8 T-cell-mediated anti-tumor immunity. These findings reveal that B-cells contribute to ICB and STING therapy resistance in HCC, and that B-cell depletion or TIM-1 blockade can overcome acquired resistance to these immunotherapies.

Year of Publication
2025
Journal
Nature communications
Volume
16
Issue
1
Pages
10416
Date Published
12/2025
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/s41467-025-66581-3
PubMed ID
41360802
Links