Zakharevich NV, Morozov MD, Kanaeva VA, Filippov MS, Zyubko TI, Ivanov AB, Ulyantsev VI, Klimina KM, Olekhnovich EI. Systemic metabolic depletion of gut microbiome undermines responsiveness to melanoma immunotherapy.
Life Sci Alliance 2024;
7:e202302480. [PMID:
38448159 PMCID:
PMC10917649 DOI:
10.26508/lsa.202302480]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Immunotherapy has proven to be a boon for patients battling metastatic melanoma, significantly improving their clinical condition and overall quality of life. A compelling link between the composition of the gut microbiome and the efficacy of immunotherapy has been established in both animal models and human patients. However, the precise biological mechanisms by which gut microbes influence treatment outcomes remain poorly understood. Using a robust dataset of 680 fecal metagenomes from melanoma patients, a detailed catalog of metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) was constructed to explore the compositional and functional properties of the gut microbiome. Our study uncovered significant findings that deepen the understanding of the intricate relationship between gut microbes and the efficacy of melanoma immunotherapy. In particular, we discovered the specific metagenomic profile of patients with favorable treatment outcomes, characterized by a prevalence of MAGs with increased overall metabolic potential and proficiency in polysaccharide utilization, along with those responsible for cobalamin and amino acid production. Furthermore, our investigation of the biosynthetic pathways of short-chain fatty acids, known for their immunomodulatory role, revealed a differential abundance of these pathways among the specific MAGs. Among others, the cobalamin-dependent Wood-Ljungdahl pathway of acetate synthesis was directly associated with responsiveness to melanoma immunotherapy.
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