KLRG1 identifies circulating cytotoxic CD4 T cells with selective anti-tumor function in human cancer

Given the critical role of CD4 T cells in anti-tumor immunity, strategies to harness these cells for cancer immunotherapy are gaining increasing interest. Historically overshadowed by CD8 T cells, cytotoxic CD4 T cells can directly kill MHC class II-expressing tumor cells. However, the defining molecular signature and the mechanisms underlying their cytolytic activity remain poorly understood, particularly in cancer patients.

Here, using ex vivo single-cell transcriptomic and spatial analyses of CD4 T cells from paired blood and tumor samples of melanoma patients, we identified Killer Cell Lectin-Like Receptor G1 (KLRG1) as a defining surface marker of cytotoxic CD4 T cells. The CD4 ⁺ KLRG1 ⁺ T cell subset was notably enriched among circulating cells compared with tumor-infiltrating populations, which were instead enriched in T follicular helper (Tfh) states.

Functionally, KLRG1 ⁺ CD4 T cells expressed elevated levels of cytotoxic genes and exhibited superior tumor-killing capacity compared with their KLRG1 ^- counterparts. We demonstrated that their cytotoxicity is granulysin-dependent, as confirmed by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene deletion. Mechanistically, CD4 T cells spared MHC class II ⁺ cells lacking the KLRG1 ligands CD324 and CD325, such as professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs), indicating that cytotoxicity was selectively directed towards tumor cells while preserving immune cells.

Finally, by investigating how the tumor microenvironment may impair CD4 T cell cytotoxicity, we showed that tumor-derived factors, including interleukin-6 (IL-6), are key drivers promoting the transition of cytotoxic CD4 T cells toward a Tfh phenotype.

In summary, our findings define KLRG1 as a defining cell surface marker of cytotoxic CD4 T cells in cancer patients, as well as a key regulator that protects MHC class II ⁺ APCs. Moreover, targeting the IL-6 signalling pathway may enhance CD4 T cell anti-tumor cytotoxicity, offering new avenues for cancer immunotherapy.