Spatial multiomics profiling reveals ZFP36-mediated immunometabolic reprogramming in bladder cancer

Abstract

Bladder cancer remains a significant therapeutic challenge due to its marked heterogeneity and capacity for immune evasion. Here, we employ spatial metabolomics and spatial transcriptomics to systematically characterize and visualize the metabolic and transcriptional landscapes of bladder cancer. Our findings identify distinct metabolic and transcriptional profiles across different tumor regions, highlighting heterogeneity and immune-associated metabolic reprogramming in BLCA. Further investigation identifies zinc finger protein 36 (ZFP36) as a potential immunotherapeutic target. Utilizing Zfp36 whole-body knockout and T cell–specific Zfp36 conditional knockout mice, we validated that Zfp36 knockout decreases the activation threshold for T cells and increases T cell infiltration in tumors. Moreover, we found that elevated ZFP36 expression is dramatically linked to worse patient outcomes. Mechanistically, ZFP36 facilitates mRNA degradation of key immune regulators, including C1QBP , thereby inhibiting T cell activation and cytotoxicity. Notably, combining Zfp36 knockout with anti-PD-1 therapy produced synergistic antitumor effects, suggesting that ZFP36 inhibition could be a promising therapeutic strategy. This integrated multiomics approach collectively uncovers immune-metabolic regulatory pathways in BLCA and points to critical molecular targets for immunotherapy.