HIF1A⁺CSF3R⁺ neutrophils-dominated hypoxic niche induced metabolic reprogramming for neoadjuvant therapy resistance...

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is one of the frequently occurring cancers characterized by molecular heterogeneity and multiple immune cell infiltration patterns, which are associated with treatment sensitivity and resistance. However, the specific microenvironmental cells and their mechanisms that lead to treatment resistance in patients need to be explored in greater depth.

On the basis of patients receiving neoadjuvant therapy in our center, a multicenter, multicohort NSCLC spatial transcriptome, single-cell transcriptome, T-cell receptor repertoire sequencing, bulk RNA transcriptome, phosphorylated proteome, genome mutation, and clinical data were included for a comprehensive assessment of the therapeutic and prognostic impact of HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils in NSCLC. In vitro experiments validated the functional phenotype of HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils and co-localization interactions with other cellular subpopulations. Gradient boosting machine (GBM) constructed region of interest (ROI) models for evaluation. Computer-aided drug design (CADD) was used to predict targeted small molecule drugs, and in vivo mouse models were constructed to assess the effectiveness of the combination treatment regimen.

Centered on HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils, recruited exhausted T cells and stromal cells form a hypoxic niche within the tumor region, which was enriched in non-response patients. ROI composed of these specific cellular subpopulations, associated with senescence and glycolysis, accurately predicting NSCLC progression, prognosis, and microenvironment composition. CADD analysis identified that platycodin-D2 specifically targeted CSF3R, reducing HIF1A expression and inhibiting neutrophil activity. Combining navitoclax, platycodin-D2 with anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) significantly suppressed tumor proliferation and improved the immunosuppressive microenvironment.

Our study emphasized the role of HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils in immunotherapeutic resistance of NSCLC, constructed a microenvironmental immune dysregulation network in a hypoxic ecological niche with HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils as the center. Platycodin-D2 specifically targeted HIF1A⁺ CSF3R⁺ neutrophils, enhancing the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in NSCLC.