PD-L1 regulates tumorigenesis and autophagy of ovarian cancer by activating mTORC signaling.
Biosci Rep 2020;
39:221398. [PMID:
31799599 PMCID:
PMC6923342 DOI:
10.1042/bsr20191041]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/25/2019] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
PD-L1 is a well-known immune co-stimulatory molecule that regulates tumour cell escape from immunity by suppressing the immune response. However, the clinical significance of PD-L1 in the progression of ovarian cancer is unclear. Our study demonstrated that PD-L1 is up-regulated in ovarian tumour tissue compared with its expression level in adjacent normal tissue. Furthermore, we confirmed that PD-L1 increases the proliferation of cancer cells by activating the AKT-mTORC signalling pathway, which is also enhanced by the expression of S6K, the substrate of mTORC. In addition, PD-L1 promotes the autophagy of ovarian cancer cells by up-regulating the expression of BECN1, a crucial molecule involved in the regulation of autophagy. In conclusion, PD-L1 may provide a target for the development of a novel strategy for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
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