Inhibiting B cells enhances the efficacy of STING agonism or immune checkpoint blockade in hepatocellular carcinoma.
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| 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
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| Journal | Nature communications
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| Volume | 16
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| Issue | 1
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| Pages | 10416
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| Date Published | 12/2025
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| ISSN | 2041-1723
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| DOI | 10.1038/s41467-025-66581-3
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| PubMed ID | 41360802
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