Therapeutic Salmonella induces long-term protective trained immunity in NK cells against cancer metastasis

Abstract

Trained immunity, a form of innate immune memory initially recognized in pathogen defense, has recently been reported to aid in combating cancer. Although trained immunity has been well-characterized in myeloid lineage cells, its presence in innate lymphoid cells, particularly natural killer (NK) cells, remains largely unexplored. Here, we report that a single dose of Salmonella YB1, an attenuated candidate anticancer vaccine strain, provides long-lasting protection against cancer metastasis in mice by inducing trained natural killer (NK) cells. Functional assays coupled with multiomics analysis revealed that Salmonella-trained NK (stNK) cells establish an enduring reprogrammed epigenome characterized by enhanced pro-survival signaling and immune effector functions, resulting in more potent IFN-{gamma} release and cytotoxicity upon secondary stimulation. We further revealed that IL-12 and IL-18 are essential but insufficient for this NK cell training effect. Crucially, stNK cells far outperform the common immune checkpoint therapies, including PD-1 and TIGIT blockade, in suppressing metastasis, underscoring the unique immunological mechanisms in combating metastasis. These findings uncover a novel long-term anti-metastatic function of trained immunity in NK cells, highlighting its potential as an effective antitumor strategy.