Chromatin accessibility profiles for EGR2 knockout (KO) and AAVS1 knockout (AAVS1) CD8+ CAR T-cells. The table provides information on the locus mapping, p-value, average log2 fold change, percentage of cells, adjusted p-value, transcript ID, gene name, gene ID, gene biotype, region type, closest region, query region, and distance.
ARTICLE ABSTRACT
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has shown promise in treating hematologic cancers, but resistance is common and efficacy is limited in solid tumors. We found that CAR T cells autonomously propagate epigenetically programmed type I interferon signaling through chronic stimulation, which hampers antitumor function. EGR2 transcriptional regulator knockout not only blocks this type I interferon–mediated inhibitory program but also independently expands early memory CAR T cells with improved efficacy against liquid and solid tumors. The protective effect of EGR2 deletion in CAR T cells against chronic antigen-induced exhaustion can be overridden by interferon-β exposure, suggesting that EGR2 ablation suppresses dysfunction by inhibiting type I interferon signaling. Finally, a refined EGR2 gene signature is a biomarker for type I interferon–associated CAR T cell failure and shorter patient survival. These findings connect prolonged CAR T cell activation with deleterious immunoinflammatory signaling and point to an EGR2–type I interferon axis as a therapeutically amenable biological system.
To improve CAR T cell therapy outcomes, modulating molecular determinants of CAR T cell–intrinsic resistance is crucial. Editing the gene encoding the EGR2 transcriptional regulator renders CAR T cells impervious to type I interferon pathway–induced dysfunction and improves memory differentiation, thereby addressing major barriers to progress for this emerging class of cancer immunotherapies.
