Lung cancer is the leading cause of
cancer-related mortality in the world, resulting in over a million deaths each year. Non-small cell
lung cancers (NSCLCs) are characterized by a poor immunogenic response, which may be the result of immunosuppressive factors such as
prostaglandin E2 (
PGE(2)) present in the
tumor environment. The effect of
PGE(2) in the suppression of anti-
tumor immunity and its promotion of
tumor survival has been established for over three decades, but with limited mechanistic understanding. We have previously reported that
PGE(2) activates
hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1), a hematopoietic-specific
kinase known to negatively regulate
T-cell receptor signaling. Here, we report that mice genetically lacking HPK1 resist the growth of PGE(2)-producing
Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC). The presence of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and T-cell transfer into T cell-deficient mice revealed that
tumor rejection is T cell mediated. Further analysis demonstrated that this may be significantly due to the ability of HPK1 (-/-) T cells to withstand PGE(2)-mediated suppression of T-cell proliferation,
IL-2 production, and apoptosis. We conclude that
PGE(2) utilizes HPK1 to suppress T cell-mediated anti-
tumor responses.