PD-L1 was overexpressed in on bronchial epithelial cells resulted in PD-L1 upregulation, whereas this effect was abolished upon treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors [44, 45]

PD-L1 was overexpressed in on bronchial epithelial cells resulted in PD-L1 upregulation, whereas this effect was abolished upon treatment with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors [44, 45]. optimizing strategies for cancer immunotherapy. Here, we review the current knowledge of PD-L1 regulation, and its use as biomarker and as therapeutic target in cancer. Introduction Cancer development and progression raises a strong BBT594 antitumor immune response through which the immune system can eliminate cancer cells. This immunosurveillance theory describes the complex interactions between immune and cancer cells, divided in three distinct but often overlapping stages: elimination, equilibrium, and evasion. Thus, tumors can suppress immunity and escape eradication; evading immune destruction has been characterized as a hallmark of cancer [1, 2]. Programmed death protein 1 (PD-1) and its ligand (PD-L1) have been recognized as inhibitory molecules that cause impaired immune response against cancer cells. Therapeutic antibodies targeting PD-1/PD-L1 have been introduced into clinical practice, leading to better patient outcomes [3]. Immune checkpoint regulation has been under intense investigation over the BBT594 last decades, however, the underlying mechanisms regulating the PD1 and PD-L1 expression are not fully understood; several oncogenic signaling pathways, epigenetic modifications, and genetic variations have been suggested. The aim of this review is to summarize the current knowledge on PD-L1 regulation and its emerging role as a target in cancer BBT594 immunotherapy. Immune surveillance: the role of PD-1/PD-L1 axis as immune checkpoint PD-1 (CD279) is a transmembrane protein, member of the CD28 family. It is mainly expressed on activated T cells but it can also be detected in other cells such as B- and natural killer (NK) cells upon induction [4]. PD-1 has two ligands, PD-L1 (CD274, B7-H1) and PD-L2 (CD273, B7-DC), which belong to the B7-CD28 protein family [5]. PD-L1 is expressed on tumor cells but it can also be present on the surface of other cell types including T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, macrophages, mesenchymal stem cells, epithelial, endothelial cells, and as recently shown, brown adipocytes [6]. PD-L2 is typically expressed in antigen-presenting cells (APCs). PD-L1 is expressed upon stimulation of BBT594 cytokine interferon- (IFNg), secreted by activated T cells [7, 8]. PD-L1 and PD-L2 are encoded by the and genes, respectively, located on chromosome 9p.24.1, whereas PD-1 is encoded by the gene located on chromosome 2q37.3 [4]. PD-1/PD-L1 axis plays an important role in the regulation of T-cell immunity and has been also implicated in autoimmunity and infection [9]. The PD-1/PD-L1 interaction has been characterized as an immune checkpoint due to its BBT594 impact on the orchestration of immune response against tumor antigens. Along with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 (CTLA-4, CD152), they represent immunological brakes that modulate T-cell activation leading to an impaired immunosurveillance. T-cell activation involves a two signal-model; APCs require a first signal from T-cell receptor (TCR), which recognizes the antigen along with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) presented on the surface of APC. The second signal includes the co-stimulatory interaction between CD28 on the surface of T cells and CD80 (B7.1) or CD86 (B7.2) on the surface of APC [10, 11]. The engagement of PD-1 with its ligands leads to the inhibition of T-cell activation and response, via mechanisms that include blocking of proliferation, induction of apoptosis, and regulatory T-cell differentiation and therefore immune inhibition [11]. Blocking the PD-1/PD-L1 axis with potent monoclonal antibodies may reverse the impaired anticancer immunity and thus represents an appealing target of cancer immunotherapy [12]. The genetic basis of PD-L1 expression in cancer The genetic aberrations of the PD-L1/PD-L2 gene loci represent a key mechanism of PD-L1 expression both in solid and hematologic tumors. Studies of copy number alterations (CNAs) have been reported in several tumor types (Table ?(Table1).1). The highest frequencies of CNAs have been seen in squamous cell carcinomas of vulva and cervix and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), as well as in classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL) and primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL). Contrary, low or absent CNAs have been reported in small Mouse monoclonal to IgG1/IgG1(FITC/PE) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL). In general, copy number gains and especially amplifications are well correlated with the protein levels of PD-L1. Given the challenges in determining the protein levels of PD-L1 as detailed below, detection of CNAs is an attractive alternative for identifying patients who could benefit from treatment with checkpoint inhibitors. Table ?Table11 summarizes the current literature of the genetic regulation of PD-L1 [13C28]. In addition to.