IGFBP3 induces PD-L1 expression to promote glioblastoma immune evasion

Glioblastoma (GBM) characterized by immune escape is the most malignant primary brain tumors, which has strong immunosuppressive effect. Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1) is a recognized immunosuppressive member on the surface of tumor cells, and plays a crucial role in immune evasion of tumors. Actually, little is known about the regulation of PD-L1 expression in GBM. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 3 (IGFBP3) is upregulated in GBM and is related to poor patient prognosis. However, it remains unclear whether IGFBP3 plays a role in the regulation of PD-L1 expression in GBM.

The role of IGFBP3 in the glioma immune microenvironment was investigated using the CIBERSORT algorithm. The correlation between IGFBP3 and PD-L1 expression was analyzed using TCGA and CGGA databases. QRT-PCR, immunoblotting and RNA-seq were used to examine the regulatory effect of IGFBP3 on PD-L1 expression. Co-culture assay, cell counting kit (CCK-8), qRT-PCR, ELISA and flow cytometry were performed to explore the function of IGFBP3 in inducing immunosuppression. The biological role of IGFBP3 was verified using immunohistochemical, immunofluorescence and mice orthotopic tumor model.

In this study, we analyzed immune cells infiltration in gliomas and found that IGFBP3 may be associated with an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Then, by analyzing TCGA and CGGA databases, our results showed that IGFBP3 and PD-L1 expression were positively correlated in GBM patients, but not in LGG patients. In vitro experiments conducted on different GBM cell lines revealed that the overexpression of IGFBP3 led to an increase in PD-L1 expression, which was reversible upon knockdown IGFBP3. Mechanistically, IGFBP3 activated the JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway, leading to an increase in PD-L1 expression. Additionally, co-culture experiments results showed IGFBP3 overexpression induced upregulation of PD-L1 expression promoted apoptosis in Jurkat cells, and this effect was blocked by IGFBP3 antibody and PDL-1 inhibitors. Importantly, in vivo experiments targeting IGFBP3 suppressed tumor growth and significantly prolonged the survival of mice.

This research demonstrated IGFBP3 is a novel regulator for PD-L1 expression in GBM, and identified a new mechanism by which IGFBP3 regulates immune evasion through PD-L1, suggesting that IGFBP3 may be a potential novel target for GBM therapy.