1. Academic Validation
  2. Daurisoline Modulates the TBK1-Dependent Type I Interferon Pathway to Boost Anti-tumor Immunity via Targeting of LRP1

Daurisoline Modulates the TBK1-Dependent Type I Interferon Pathway to Boost Anti-tumor Immunity via Targeting of LRP1

  • Research (Wash D C). 2025 Jul 4:8:0764. doi: 10.34133/research.0764.
Borui Tang 1 2 Yuting Wang 3 Liping Li 3 Cuicui Sun 3 Jingwen Dong 3 Ruoqi Li 3 Jianfeng Wang 4 Yu Long 3 Mingxiao Yin 5 Fei Xie 4 Dian Xiao 4 Xinbo Zhou 4 Na Zhang 3 Xiuli Zhao 1 2 Yanchun Feng 6 Hongbin Deng 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China.
  • 2 National Institute for Drug Clinical Trial, Beijing Tongren Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100005, China.
  • 3 Institute of Medicinal Biotechnology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100050, China.
  • 4 National Engineering Research Center for the Emergency Drug, Beijing Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Beijing 100850, China.
  • 5 Department of Pharmacy, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan 250021, China.
  • 6 National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, Beijing 102629, China.
Abstract

A promising therapeutic approach in oncology involves immune checkpoint blockade (ICB), which stimulates anti-tumor immune responses. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of this treatment in clinical settings remains limited, underscoring the need for complementary strategies. Recent studies highlight the potential of type I interferon (IFN-I) inducers to reprogram the tumor microenvironment and enhance ICB outcomes. Herein, through high-content screening of a natural compound library, we identified daurisoline (DS), a bioactive alkaloid extracted from the Chinese herbal medicine Rhizoma Menispermi, as a potent inducer of IFN-I signaling. Our findings indicated that DS up-regulates interferon responses and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in a TANK-binding kinase 1 (TBK1)-dependent manner. In vivo, DS exhibited marked tumor growth inhibition by activating dendritic cells, macrophages, and CD8+ T cells, thereby enhancing anti-tumor immunity. Utilizing the LiP-SMap approach, we identified low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) as the direct target of DS. Mechanistically, the binding of DS to LRP1 substantially disrupted lysosomal function, which subsequently triggered 5'-azacytidine-induced protein 2-mediated TBK1 activation and IFN-I production. Furthermore, DS demonstrated synergistic effects with anti-programmed death 1 therapy and a stimulator of interferon genes agonist by remodeling the immunosuppressive microenvironment. Collectively, our findings establish LRP1 as a novel therapeutic target for Cancer Immunotherapy and highlight DS-driven immune reprogramming as a translatable strategy to potentiate ICB efficacy.

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