Decitibine improve the efficiency of anti-PD-1 therapy via activating the response to IFN/PD-L1 signal of lung cancer cells

Oncogene. 2018 Apr;37(17):2302-2312. doi: 10.1038/s41388-018-0125-3. Epub 2018 Feb 9.

Abstract

IFN-γ-induced PD-L1 expression represents the existence of tumor-specific T cells, which predicts high-response rate to anti-PD-1/L1 therapy, but loss-of-function of IFN signals (e.g., JAK mutation) induces adaptive immune resistance in patients with low-response rate. Interferon regulatory factors (IRF) are frequently epigenetic silenced in carcinogenesis, while the role of methylation in anti-PD-1/L1 therapy remains unclear. We here investigated the methylation status of IFN-γ related genes IRF1/8 and IFN-α/β-related genes IRF3/7 in lung cancer tissues and found that only highly methylated IRF1 and 7 negatively correlated to cd274 (coding PD-L1) expression, similar to JAK mutation. Interestingly, decitibine (DAC) as methylation inhibitor could hypomethylate IRF1/7 to restore PD-L1 level. Meanwhile, IRF7 enhanced constitutive PD-L1 expression, which was independent of IFN-γ though directly promote transcription of PD-L1, leading to abrogating cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) generation which could be restored by anti-PD-L1 antibody, or siRNA-IRF7. The supplement of DAC to anti-PD-1 therapy in vivo improve the efficiency of anti-tumor with less methylated IRF1/7, more interferon-related genes expression (e.g., CXCL9) and IFN-γ/CD8+ T-cells infiltrations, suggesting that additional treatment of DAC could rescue the ability to response to IFN in lung cancer patients with anti-PD-1/L1 therapy resistance.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • A549 Cells
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Animals
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / administration & dosage
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use*
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use*
  • Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Decitabine / administration & dosage
  • Decitabine / pharmacology*
  • Drug Synergism
  • Female
  • HEK293 Cells
  • Humans
  • Interferons / metabolism
  • Lung Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Middle Aged
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / immunology*
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor / metabolism
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • PDCD1 protein, human
  • Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor
  • Decitabine
  • Interferons