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Hypoxic stress granules trigger immunogenic dormancy in lung cancer


Smith, Matthew G. et al.

Induction of the MHC class I antigen processing and presentation pathway (C1APP) is a critical part of the IFN-γ response necessary for effective cytotoxic immunity against tumors of epithelial origin1,2. Loss of this response is associated with worse disease outcomes and renders patients refractory to immunotherapies36. Without C1APP induction, tumor cells cannot optimally process and present immunopeptides from tumor-associated antigens (TAA) and neoantigens to effector cytotoxic T cells79. Here, we show that physiologic levels of hypoxia block induction of the immunoproteasome (IP) and other C1APP components in cancer cells, including human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). In A549 cells, this leads to impaired presentation of more than 73% of detectable immunopeptides, including TAA and neoantigen-derived immunopeptides. This effect is independent of HIF-1α or HIF-2α signaling, protein degradation, autophagy, or stimulus type. Instead, hypoxia induces translational arrest of C1APP mRNAs prior to complete monosome loading, along with sequestration into hypoxia-associated stress granules. This phenomenon is reversible with the epitranscriptomic compound 5-azacytidine. Consistent with these findings, IP expression is excluded from hypoxic regions in most human NSCLC tumors. Together, these results link tumor hypoxia to a state of “immunogenic dormancy” and identify stress granules as a previously unrecognized mechanism of immune escape.

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Antibody

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Published
February, 2026

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Products used in this publication

  • Mouse IgG
    C15200081-100
    5-methylcytosine (5-mC) monoclonal antibody 33D3

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