Bacteria-Derived Nanobody-Decorated Nanoplatform Restores T Cell Immunity Post-Radiotherapy

T cell exhaustion within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) impairs the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that X-ray radiotherapy induces arginine metabolic dysregulation and PD-L1 upregulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suppressing T cell metabolism and driving the expansion of PD-1<sup>+</sup>TIM-3<sup>+</sup> exhausted T cells, thereby promoting immunosuppression. To address this, we design a biomimetic hybrid immunomodulator (arg/B<sup>nb</sup>-L) by engineering BL-21 bacterial membranes to display PD-L1 nanobodies and fusing them with l-arginine-loaded liposomes. This nanoplatform simultaneously blocks PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint signaling and restores T cell metabolic activity while promoting dendritic cell maturation. In murine tumor models, arg/B<sup>nb</sup>-L combined with radiotherapy significantly enhances CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell infiltration, reduces exhausted T cell populations, maintains cytotoxic T lymphocyte function, and inhibits tumor progression and metastasis. Our study elucidates a dual mechanism underlying radiotherapy-induced immunosuppression and offers a promising strategy to enhance radioimmunotherapy outcomes through targeted metabolic and immunologic reprogramming.

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Publication Details

Journal
ACS Nano
Published
2026-02-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acsnano.6c00839
Primary Topic
Cancer Research and Treatments
Type
article
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0.00
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article

Bacteria-Derived Nanobody-Decorated Nanoplatform Restores T Cell Immunity Post-Radiotherapy

Zetong Chen, Xiangming Han, Jinzhou Cai, Siqi Ma et al.
ACS Nano
Cancer Research and Treatments
article

Bacteria-Derived Nanobody-Decorated Nanoplatform Restores T Cell Immunity Post-Radiotherapy

Zetong Chen, Xiangming Han, Jinzhou Cai, Siqi Ma, Rui Qian, Yu Zhang, Kai Yang
article en

Abstract

T cell exhaustion within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) impairs the efficacy of radioimmunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that X-ray radiotherapy induces arginine metabolic dysregulation and PD-L1 upregulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME), suppressing T cell metabolism and driving the expansion of PD-1<sup>+</sup>TIM-3<sup>+</sup> exhausted T cells, thereby promoting immunosuppression. To address this, we design a biomimetic hybrid immunomodulator (arg/B<sup>nb</sup>-L) by engineering BL-21 bacterial membranes to display PD-L1 nanobodies and fusing them with l-arginine-loaded liposomes. This nanoplatform simultaneously blocks PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint signaling and restores T cell metabolic activity while promoting dendritic cell maturation. In murine tumor models, arg/B<sup>nb</sup>-L combined with radiotherapy significantly enhances CD8<sup>+</sup> T cell infiltration, reduces exhausted T cell populations, maintains cytotoxic T lymphocyte function, and inhibits tumor progression and metastasis. Our study elucidates a dual mechanism underlying radiotherapy-induced immunosuppression and offers a promising strategy to enhance radioimmunotherapy outcomes through targeted metabolic and immunologic reprogramming.

ACS NanoVol. 20(9)
Anhui Medical University (CN), National Institute for Radiological Protection (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 43%
Cancer Research and Treatments
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