Retinoic Acid Reprograms Mast Cells Toward a Proinflammatory State to Enhance Antitumor Immunity

Mast cells play complex and context-dependent roles within the tumor microenvironment, yet their molecular characteristics and functional diversity across human cancers remain poorly defined. In this study, single-cell RNA sequencing and spatial transcriptomics data are integrated to comprehensively map the transcriptional and spatial heterogeneity of mast cells across ten cancer types. A distinct proinflammatory mast cell (PMC) population is identified, characterized by strong antigen-presenting features and immune-activating potential. Mechanistic analyses show that retinoic acid (RA) signaling drives the polarization of PMCs through activation of RARα, which promotes CIITA-mediated MHC-II expression, CXCL16 secretion, and T cell recruitment and activation. Across multiple cancer types, tumors with higher PMC abundance are associated with more favorable clinical outcomes. These findings reveal the pivotal role of RA-RARα-CIITA signaling in mast cell reprogramming and suggest that pharmacologic induction of proinflammatory mast cells may represent a promising approach to enhance antitumor immunity.