Publications
bioRxivOct 2025 DOI:
10.1101/2025.10.09.681049

P2RY2 is a purinergic immune checkpoint linking extracellular ATP to immune evasion and adaptive resistance to immunotherapy

Hu, Zhaoqing; Matsuo, Hitoshi; Du, Shangce; Battioni, Cecilia Berzain; Jassowicz, Lena; Carretero, Rafael; Sator‐Schmitt, Melanie; Zhao, Xiyue; Miao, Beiping; Eris, Cansu; Engel, H.-J.; Mahmoud, Mohamed A. A.; Laport, Elke; Xiao, Yanling; Hofmann, Ilse; Herold‐Mende, Christel; Sun, Chong
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Abstract
Extracellular ATP (eATP) accumulates substantially in the tumor microenvironment (TME) and rises further during immunotherapy. While canonically an immune-activating danger signal, eATP also promotes immunosuppression in tumors, thus far largely attributed to its metabolite, adenosine. Here, we identify direct eATP signaling through P2RY2 as a dominant, adenosine-independent mechanism of immune resistance. Specifically, eATP-P2RY2 signaling serves as the primary upstream driver of COX-1/2 upregulation and consequent accumulation of immunosuppressive PGE2; in the TME, uncovering the long-sought TME-specific trigger of pathological COX-PGE2; hyperactivation in solid tumors. Genetic deletion or pharmacologic inhibition of P2RY2 eliminates both baseline and therapy-induced intratumoral PGE2;, restores antitumor T cell responses, and reverses resistance to CAR-T, TCR-T, checkpoint blockade, and TIL therapies. Given that persistently elevated eATP is a hallmark of solid tumors, our work reveals a fundamental mechanism by which tumors hijack innate danger signaling to establish immune suppression and develop adaptive resistance to immunotherapy. These findings establish P2RY2 as a purinergic immune checkpoint with translational potential for combinatorial cancer immunotherapies.
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