Nagilactone E increases PD-L1 expression through activation of c-Jun in lung cancer cells

Nagilactone E (NLE), a natural product with anticancer activities, is isolated from Podocarpus nagi. In this study, we reported that NLE increased programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expressions at both protein and mRNA levels in human lung cancer cells, and enhanced its localization on the cell membrane. Mechanistically, NLE increased the phosphorylation and expression of c-Jun, and promoted the localization of c-Jun in the nucleus, while silencing of c-Jun by small interfering RNA (siRNA) reduced NLE-induced PD-L1. Further study showed that NLE activated the c-Jun N-terminal kinases (JNK), the upstream of c-Jun, and its inhibitor SP600125 reversed the NLE-increased PD-L1. Moreover, NLE-induced PD-L1 increased the binding intensity of PD-1 on the cell surface. In summary, NLE upregulates the expression of PD-L1 in lung cancer cells through the activation of JNK-c-Jun axis, which has the potential to combine with the PD-1/PD-L1 antibody therapies in lung cancer.