Microbiota-derived butyrate promotes a FOXO1-induced stemness program and preserves CD8 T cell immunity against melanoma

Abstract

A range of microbiota species correlate with improved cancer outcomes in patients and confer protection in pre-clinical mouse models. Here, we examined how microbiota regulate CD8+ T cell immunity against melanoma. Spontaneous control of cutaneous melanoma in mice correlated with metabolic pathways required for microbial synthesis of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) shared between several microbiota species. Diet-induced enforcement of SCFA production by the gut microbiota reduced melanoma progression and enriched tumor-specific stem-like CD127+CD8+ T cells in the tumor-draining lymph node (tdLN). The SCFA butyrate induced a FOXO1-driven stemness program and directly promoted the differentiat..