GBP2 condensates promote ferroptosis to sensitize anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy in melanoma
The mechanisms underlying the limited response to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) remain unclear. One explanation is that tumors escape cytotoxic T cell killing by disrupting interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) signaling. Here we show that guanylate-binding protein 2 (GBP2), an IFN-γ-inducible molecule, functions as a general amplifier of T cell-mediated cytotoxicity by promoting ferroptosis in melanoma. GBP2 enhances STAT1 activation and suppresses SLC7A11, thereby sensitizing tumor cells to ferroptotic death. Upon IFN-γ stimulation, GBP2 undergoes phase separation through an intrinsically disordered region, forming condensates that sequester SHP1 and sustain STAT1 activation. Disrupting GBP2 phase separation impairs ferroptosis, accelerates tumor growth, and weakens T cell-driven tumor control. GBP2 also increases HMGB1 release from ferroptotic cells, promoting cytotoxic T cell infiltration. These findings identify GBP2 as a key mediator linking IFN-γ signaling to ferroptosis and demonstrate that enhancing this pathway can improve tumor responsiveness to ICB immunotherapy.
Authors
- Fang Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5971-2622)
- Yuntian Hong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3546-1670)
- Yilin Pang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4920-2423)
- Xiaoping Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1808-4233)
- Hao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6881-9977)
- Lan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3566-9666)
- Feiyang Xu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8472-4338)
- Jianchun Guo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7793-5432)
- Xianghai Ren
- L. Gao
- Shilin Fang
- Yumei Ning
- Meng Zhang
- Haihang Nie
- Qiu Zhao
- Jun Fang
- Xin Liu
Institutions
- Capital Medical University (CN)
- Peking University (CN)
- Wuhan University (CN)
- Wuhan College (CN)
- Hubei Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CN)
- Wuhan Prevention and Treatment Center for Occupational Diseases (CN)
- Beijing Chest Hospital (CN)
- Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University (CN)
- Peking University Third Hospital (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-12-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67690-9
- Primary Topic
- Ferroptosis and cancer prognosis
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00