APLNR inhibited nasopharyngeal carcinoma growth and immune escape by downregulating PD-L1.

Background: APLNR is a G protein-coupled receptor and our previous study had revealed that APLNR could inhibit nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) growth and metastasis. However, the role of APLNR in regulating PD-L1 expression and immune escape in NPC is unknown.

Methods: We analyzed the expression and correlation of APLNR and PD-L1 in NPC tissues and cells. We investigated the effect of APLNR on PD-L1 expression and the underlying mechanism in vitro and in vivo. We also evaluated the therapeutic potential of targeting APLNR in combination with PD-L1 antibody in a nude mouse xenograft model.

Results: We found that APLNR was negatively correlated with PD-L1 in NPC tissues and cells. APLNR could inhibit PD-L1 expression by binding to the FERM domain of JAK1 and blocking the interaction between JAK1 and IFNGR1, thus suppressing IFN-γ-mediated activation of the JAK1/STAT1 pathway. APLNR could also inhibit NPC immune escape by enhancing IFN-γ secretion and CD8 T-cell infiltration and reducing CD8 T-cell apoptosis and dysfunction. Moreover, the best effect was achieved in inhibiting NPC growth in nude mice when APLNR combined with PD-L1 antibody.

Conclusions: Our study revealed a novel mechanism of APLNR regulating PD-L1 expression and immune escape in NPC and suggested that APLNR maybe a potential therapeutic target for NPC immunotherapy.