2025-05-08
Palmitoylation prevents B7-H4 lysosomal degradation sustaining tumor immune evasion
2025-05-08 • Yijian Yan, Jiali Yu, Weichao Wang, Ying Xu, Kole Tison, Rongxin Xiao, Sara Grove, Shuang Wei, Linda Vatan, Max S. Wicha, Ilona Kryczek, Weiping Zou
Abstract B7-H4 functions as an immune checkpoint in the tumor microenvironment (TME). However, the post-translational modification (PTM) of B7-H4 and its translational potential in cancer remains incompletely understood. We find that ZDHHC3, a zinc finger DHHC-type palmitoyltransferase, palmitoylates B7-H4 at Cys130 in breast cancer cells, preventing its lysosomal degradation and sustaining B7-H4-mediated immunosuppression. Knockdown of ZDHHC3 in tumors results in robust anti-tumor immunity and reduces tumor progr…