Glycogen synthase kinase-3 is essential for Treg development and function
T<sub>regs</sub> are critical regulators of the immune response, but the cellular and metabolic signaling pathways that control their development and homeostasis remain to be determined. We found that glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK3), a kinase that integrates signals from Akt and mTOR, was essential for T<sub>reg</sub> development, restraining fatal autoimmunity. Loss of Gsk3 led to metabolic rewiring in T<sub>regs</sub>, with disordered nucleotide metabolism and activation of OxPhos. Acute deletion of Gsk3 did not affect T<sub>reg</sub> frequency or numbers but induced an effector gene expression program and led to the formation of populations with pro-inflammatory signatures. The acute loss of Gsk3 in T<sub>regs</sub> profoundly enhanced anti-tumoral immune responses and suppressed tumor growth. Overall, we demonstrate that GSK3 critically regulates T<sub>reg</sub> homeostasis and anti-tumor immune responses.
Authors
- Matheswaran Kandasamy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7734-4600)
- Salvatore Valvo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5299-1104)
- Alexander J. Clarke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2846-7860)
- Moustafa Attar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4116-1276)
- Iwan G. A. Raza (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1724-1703)
- Robert J. Mitchell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9608-5381)
- Barbara Kronsteiner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0867-2867)
- Mohammad A. Ali (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1311-4616)
- Mariana Borsa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1519-2597)
- Hana F. Andrew
Institutions
- Angkor Hospital for Children (KH)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Kennedy Center (DK)
- Medawar Building for Pathogen Research (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cell Reports
- Published
- 2025-09-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2025.116256
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.82