HMGCS1 drives cholesterol-dependent membrane repair and shields tumor cells from lymphocyte attack
- Yajuan Zhang
- Siyao Wang
- Tianhang Luo
- Haitang Yang
- Yongqiang Wang
- Tong Rong
- Miaowen Zou
- Qizhen Fei
- Zhonggang Shi
- Yifei Zhu
- Xin Zhou
- Hong Gao
- Yun Zhao
- Zhengjiang Zhu
- Huiyong Yin
- Guangchuan Wang
- Chenqi Xu
- Xiujuan Qu
- Feng Yao
- Weiwei Yang
2026-06-05
Cytotoxic lymphocytes use perforin to form plasma membrane (PM) pores in tumor cells, thereby enabling granzyme-mediated cell death. However, whether and how tumor metabolism enables PM repair to evade immunity is unclear. In this study, using a functional screen targeting 111 metabolic enzymes, we identified hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA synthase 1 (HMGCS1) as critical for repairing perforin-induced PM damage. HMGCS1 promotes PM repair by initiating de novo cholesterol synthesis, enhancing tumor cell resistance to lymphocyte-mediated killing and impairing the efficacy of NK, CAR-T, and anti-PD-1-based immunotherapies. Beyond its structural role, cholesterol directly binds charged multivesicular body protein 4b (CHMP4B) to enhance its PM localization, facilitating PM repair. Furthermore, oncogenic activation, cytokine, and hypoxia induce c-Jun activation, up-regulating HMGCS1 expression. In lung cancer patients, elevated c-Jun activation, HMGCS1 expression, cholesterol content and PM CHMP4B correlate with reduced anti-PD-1 immunotherapy efficacy. Our findings reveal a tumor immune evasion mechanism wherein HMGCS1 drives cholesterol-dependent PM repair by activating the cholesterol synthesis. Targeting HMGCS1 enhances the effectiveness of immunotherapies.