Loss of CLIC3 in CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with immune dysfunction and poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma
- 1Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University , , ,
- 2Department of Urology, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University , , ,
Abstract
Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of lung cancer, with a dismal prognosis partly attributed to immune evasion mediated by T cell dysfunction within the tumor microenvironment. However, the molecular determinants governing CD8 ⁺ cytotoxic T lymphocyte functional competence remain incompletely understood. Chloride intracellular channel 3 (CLIC3) has been implicated in cancer progression, but its role in T cell immunity within the LUAD TME is unknown.
Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on tumor tissues from nine LUAD patients spanning three pathological stages (adenocarcinoma in situ [AIS], minimally invasive adenocarcinoma [MIA], and invasive adenocarcinoma [IAC]), integrated with spatial transcriptomics, TCGA-LUAD bulk RNA-seq analysis, and flow cytometric validation in an independent cohort of 32 LUAD patients. Functional module scoring and pseudotime trajectory analysis were applied to characterize CLIC3-associated CTL functional states.
Results: CLIC3 was predominantly expressed in CTLs and showed a stage-associated decline from AIS to MIA to IAC. CLIC3 ⁺ CTLs exhibited significantly higher module scores for cytotoxicity, cytoskeleton remodeling, interferon signaling, and chemotaxis compared to CLIC3- CTLs. Pseudotime trajectory analysis indicated that CLIC3 ⁺ cells were positioned at one end of the inferred transcriptional continuum, corresponding to a functionally active state, while CLIC3 ⁻ cells were positioned at the other, corresponding to a dysfunctional state, accompanied by a decline in CD247, GZMB, PRF1, and TNF along the trajectory. High CLIC3 expression in TCGA-LUAD was associated with significantly longer overall survival. Flow cytometry showed a stage-associated decrease in CLIC3 expression on CD8 ⁺ T cells with increasing tumor invasiveness and poor differentiation.
Conclusions: CLIC3 serves as a novel marker of CTL functional competence in LUAD, and its stage-associated downregulation reflects T cell dysfunction during tumor progression. CLIC3 expression in CD8 ⁺ T cells may represent a predictive biomarker for immunotherapeutic response and a potential target for restoring T cell function in LUAD.
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BibTeX
@article{li2026loss,
title = {{Loss of CLIC3 in CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with immune dysfunction and poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma}},
author = {Yinglong Li and Yidan Nie and Zhigang Han and Tingting Yu},
journal = {Frontiers in oncology},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3389/fonc.2026.1975159},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662009},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Loss of CLIC3 in CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes is associated with immune dysfunction and poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma
AU - Yinglong Li
AU - Yidan Nie
AU - Zhigang Han
AU - Tingting Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Frontiers in oncology
DO - 10.3389/fonc.2026.1975159
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13662009
AB - Background: Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is the most common histological subtype of lung cancer, with a dismal prognosis partly attributed to immune evasion mediated by T cell dysfunction within the tumor microenvironment. However, the molecular determinants governing CD8 ⁺ cytotoxic T lymphocyte functional competence remain incompletely understood. Chloride intracellular channel 3 (CLIC3) has been implicated in cancer progression, but its role in T cell immunity within the LUAD TME is unknown. Methods: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on tumor tissues from nine LUAD patients spanning three pathological stages (adenocarcinoma in situ [AIS], minimally invasive adenocarcinoma [MIA], and invasive adenocarcinoma [IAC]), integrated with spatial transcriptomics, TCGA-LUAD bulk RNA-seq analysis, and flow cytometric validation in an independent cohort of 32 LUAD patients. Functional module scoring and pseudotime trajectory analysis were applied to characterize CLIC3-associated CTL functional states. Results: CLIC3 was predominantly expressed in CTLs and showed a stage-associated decline from AIS to MIA to IAC. CLIC3 ⁺ CTLs exhibited significantly higher module scores for cytotoxicity, cytoskeleton remodeling, interferon signaling, and chemotaxis compared to CLIC3- CTLs. Pseudotime trajectory analysis indicated that CLIC3 ⁺ cells were positioned at one end of the inferred transcriptional continuum, corresponding to a functionally active state, while CLIC3 ⁻ cells were positioned at the other, corresponding to a dysfunctional state, accompanied by a decline in CD247, GZMB, PRF1, and TNF along the trajectory. High CLIC3 expression in TCGA-LUAD was associated with significantly longer overall survival. Flow cytometry showed a stage-associated decrease in CLIC3 expression on CD8 ⁺ T cells with increasing tumor invasiveness and poor differentiation. Conclusions: CLIC3 serves as a novel marker of CTL functional competence in LUAD, and its stage-associated downregulation reflects T cell dysfunction during tumor progression. CLIC3 expression in CD8 ⁺ T cells may represent a predictive biomarker for immunotherapeutic response and a potential target for restoring T cell function in LUAD.
SN - 2234-943X
ER -