Correcting Mitochondrial Complex I Defect in Tumor-Associated Natural Killer Cells Potentiates Immunotherapy for Glioblastoma

Despite successful immuno-oncology therapies in other cancers, they largely failed in glioblastoma(GBM). Here, natural killer (NK) cells from glioma patients show impaired oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial complex I activity. Multiomics profiling identified complex I subunit NDUFA9 as a critical mediator of NK cell metabolic fitness. Abundance of NDUFA9+ NK cells informed patient outcome. Ndufa9 knockout in NK cells compromised mitochondrial function, anti-tumor efficacy, and memory-like phenotype of NK cells by triggering a metabolic reprogramming toward glutamine dependence. Decreased α-ketoglutarate(α-KG)/succinate ratio in Ndufa9-deficient NK cells mediated widespread epigenetic reprogramming through inducing transcriptionally repressive histone mark H3K27me3 on key immune function genes. Resveratrol-mediated NDUFA9 activation or its overexpression enhanced NK cell anti-GBM function by restoring complex I activity. Together, these findings reveal the critical role of mitochondrial complex I activity in NK cells and highlight its potential as an actionable target to enhance NK cell-based immunotherapy for GBM patients.