USP30 inhibition augments mitophagy to prevent T cell exhaustion.

Abstract

The exhaustion of tumor-infiltrating CD8⁺ T cells poses a substantial challenge in cancer immunotherapy, with mitochondrial health essential for sustaining T cell functionality. Mitophagy, a critical process for mitochondrial quality control, is severely impaired in exhausted CD8⁺ T cells, yet the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We identified ubiquitin-specific protease 30 (USP30), a mitochondrial deubiquitinase that inhibits mitophagy, as a key factor up-regulated in exhausted CD8⁺ T cells. Notably, prolonged antigen stimulation triggers the T cell receptor and nuclear factor of activated T cell 1 signaling, which drives the transcriptional up-regulation of USP30. Excitingly, our interventions targeting USP30 through genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition effectively restored mitophagy, improved mitochondrial fitness, and rejuvenated CD8⁺ T cell effector functions. These interventions reinvigorated antitumor responses and markedly suppressed tumor growth. Our findings establish USP30 as a critical regulator of mitophagy and a promising therapeutic target for reversing T cell exhaustion and enhancing the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.