Intestinal Bacteroides drives glioma progression by regulating CD8+ T cell tumor infiltration.

Background: The intestinal microbiota regulates normal brain physiology and the pathogenesis of several neurological disorders. While prior studies suggested that this operates through immune cells, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Leveraging 2 well-characterized murine models of low-grade glioma occurring in the setting of the neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) cancer predisposition syndrome, we sought to determine the impact of the gut microbiome on optic glioma progression.

Methods: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (Nf1)-mutant mice genetically engineered to develop optic pathway gliomas (Nf1OPG mice) by 3 months of age were reared under germ-free (GF) conditions, treated with specific cocktails of antibiotics, or given fecal matter transplants (FMTs). Intestinal microbial species were identified by 16S genotyping. Neutralizing transforming growth factor-beta (TGFβ) antibodies were delivered systemically, while in vitro experiments used isolated murine microglia and T cells. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis was performed using established methods.

Results: Nf1 OPG mice raised in a GF environment or postnatally treated with vancomycin did not harbor optic gliomas or exhibit OPG-induced retinal nerve fiber layer thinning, which was reversed following conventionally raised mouse FMT or colonization with Bacteroides species. Moreover, this intestinal microbiota-regulated gliomagenesis was mediated by circulating TGFβ, such that systemic TGFβ neutralization reduced Nf1-OPG growth. TGFβ was shown to act on tumor-associated monocytes to induce Ccl3 expression and recruit CD8+ T cells necessary for glioma growth.

Conclusions: Taken together, these findings establish, for the first time, a mechanistic relationship between Bacteroides in the intestinal microbiome and NF1-LGG pathobiology, suggesting both future predictive risk assessment strategies and therapeutic opportunities.