Fibroblast TGF-β3 promotes tissue-residency and survival of CD8 T cells in barrier tissues and tumors

Abstract

Fibroblasts are key organizers of tissue architecture and immune cell homeostasis, yet how they shape adaptive immune function within non-lymphoid tissues remains incompletely understood. CD8+ tissue-resident memory T cells (TRM) provide localized protection against pathogens and contribute to tumor control, but the microenvironmental signals that maintain their persistence and survival are poorly defined. Here, we identify fibroblast-derived TGF-{beta}3 as a conserved stromal niche factor that specifically sustains CD8+ TRM in both steady-state and disease settings. Across human single-cell cross-tissue atlases, CD8+ TRM preferentially correlated with fibroblast abundance in healthy barrier tissues and multiple tumor types, and TGFB3 emerged as a key fibroblast-enriched candidate mediator. In human and murine co-culture systems, fibroblast-derived TGF-{beta}3 promoted CD8 TRM-like differentiation in vitro. Using a novel genetic in vivo model, inducible fibroblast-specific deletion of Tgfb3 reduced CD8 TRM across barrier tissues at steady state and impaired antigen-specific CD8 TRM formation following viral infection. In tumor models, genetic loss or antibody mediated neutralization of TGF-{beta}3 impaired CD8 T cell residency and cytotoxicity, induced dysfunction via proteotoxic stress and apoptotic programs, and accelerated tumor growth. These findings provide mechanistic insight into the limited efficacy of pan-TGF-{beta} blockade in cancer therapy. Collectively, we describe a novel fibroblast-CD8 T cell axis mediated by TGF-{beta}3 that sustains residency and restrains proteotoxic stress in barrier tissues and tumors.