PD-L1 promotes tumor growth and progression by activating WIP and β-catenin signaling pathways and predicts poor prognosis in lung cancer

Cell Death Dis. 2020 Jul 6;11(7):506. doi: 10.1038/s41419-020-2701-z.

Abstract

PD-L1 is overexpressed in tumor cells and contributes to cancer immunoevasion. However, the role of the tumor cell-intrinsic PD-L1 in cancers remains unknown. Here we show that PD-L1 regulates lung cancer growth and progression by targeting the WIP and β-catenin signaling. Overexpression of PD-L1 promotes tumor cell growth, migration and invasion in lung cancer cells, whereas PD-L1 knockdown has the opposite effects. We have also identified WIP as a new downstream target of PD-L1 in lung cancer. PD-L1 positively modulates the expression of WIP. Knockdown of WIP also inhibits cell viability and colony formation, whereas PD-L1 overexpression can reverse this inhibition effects. In addition, PD-L1 can upregulate β-catenin by inhibiting its degradation through PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. Moreover, we show that in lung cancer cells β-catenin can bind to the WIP promoter and activate its transcription, which can be promoted by PD-L1 overexpression. The in vivo experiments in a human lung cancer mouse model have also confirmed the PD-L1-mediated promotion of tumor growth and progression through activating the WIP and β-catenin pathways. Furthermore, we demonstrate that PD-L1 expression is positively correlated with WIP in tumor tissues of human adenocarcinoma patients and the high expression of PD-L1 and WIP predicts poor prognosis. Collectively, our results provide new insights into understanding the pro-tumorigenic role of PD-L1 and its regulatory mechanism on WIP in lung cancer, and suggest that the PD-L1/Akt/β-catenin/WIP signaling axis may be a potential therapeutic target for lung cancers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • B7-H1 Antigen / genetics
  • B7-H1 Antigen / metabolism*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Movement / genetics
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / genetics
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins / metabolism*
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Disease Progression*
  • Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition / genetics
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / genetics
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism*
  • Lung Neoplasms / genetics
  • Lung Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Nude
  • Middle Aged
  • Models, Biological
  • Neoplasm Invasiveness
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism
  • Prognosis
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Stability
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction*
  • Transcription, Genetic
  • Up-Regulation / genetics
  • beta Catenin / metabolism*

Substances

  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • Cytoskeletal Proteins
  • Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • RNA, Messenger
  • beta Catenin
  • WIPF1 protein, human