TYPE I INTERFERON REGULATION OF PD-L1 EXPRESSION AND FUNCTION IN MDSCS

Project Abstract Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) are a heterogeneous population of immature myeloid cells(IMCs). Under physiological conditions, IMCs quickly differentiate into mature granulocytes, macrophages ordendritic cells. By contrast, under pathological conditions, a partial block of IMC differentiation into maturemyeloid cells results in the expansion and activation of this population. In human cancer patients, massiveaccumulation of MDSCs is a hallmark of cancer progression. One key function of MDSCs is to inhibit activation ofcytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) through multiple suppressive mechanisms. PD-L1 has emerged as a newimmune suppressive factor of MDSCs. However, the function of MDSC-expressed PD-L1 in suppression of CTLactivation in the tumor microenvironment is currently controversial. Our preliminary studies determined for thefirst time that type I IFNs regulate constitutive PD-L1 expression in MDSCs in an autocrine manner. We furtherdetermined that IFNAR1 controls PD-L1 expression level in MDSCs in the tumor microenvironment. Therefore,type I IFNs might play a dominant role over IFNγ in up-regulating PD-L1 expression in MDSCs in the tumormicroenvironment, which remains to be determined. Our central hypothesis is that type I IFNs regulate PD-L1expression in tumor-infiltrating MDSCs and both tumor-expressed and MDSC-expressed PD-L1 contributes toCTL suppression and tumor immune evasion in human colon cancer. The objectives are: 1) elucidate themolecular mechanism underlying PD-L1 expression regulation by type I IFNs in MDSCs; 2) Determine therelative contributions of tumor-expressed and MDSC-expressed PD-L1 in suppression of CTL activation andtumor immune evasion; and 3) Test the hypothesis that type I IFN regulates PD-L1 expression in MDSCs inhuman colon cancer patients. Successful completion of the proposed studies will determine the function ofMDSC-expressed PD-L1 in immune suppression and tumor immune evasion in human colorectal cancer patientsand identify novel molecular target to enhance the efficacy of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy in human coloncancer.