Monocytes provoke breast cancer cells to express PD-L1 via a cell-to-cell interaction involving CD44 and Moesin

ABSTRACT: In recent years, immunotherapy using immune checkpoint inhibitors has been conducted for TNBC patients. While a limited proportion of patients show excellent response, about a half of the patients do not significantly respond to the immunotherapy. Monocytes are the progenitors of macrophages that are most abundantly seen in the tumor microenvironment (TME), but the influence of monocytes on BCCs has not been fully clarified. Thus, we examined whether monocytes prompted BCCs to express PD-L1. As a result, PD-L1 expression in BCCs was upregulated by co-culturing them with monocytes. RNA sequencing analysis revealed overexpression of Moesin mRNA in the BCCs co-cultured with monocytes. These findings may suggest a novel machinery of tumor escape from anti-tumor immunity, potentially providing a way to improve immunotherapy against TNBCs that are resistant to current immune-checkpoint blockade therapy.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE279379 | GEO | 2026/03/04

REPOSITORIES: GEO