PD-L1

Binding

PD-L1 binds to its receptor, PD-1, found on activated T cells, B cells, and myeloid cells, to modulate activation or inhibition. The affinity between PD-L1 and PD-1, as defined by the dissociation constant K_d, is 770 nM. PD-L1 also has an appreciable affinity for the costimulatory molecule CD80 (B7-1), but not CD86 (B7-2). CD80's affinity for PD-L1, 1.4 μM, is intermediate between its affinity for CD28 and CTLA-4 (4.0 μM and 400 nM, respectively). The related molecule PD-L2 has no such affinity for CD80 or CD86, but shares PD-1 as a receptor (with a stronger K_d of 140 nM). Said et al. showed that PD-1, up-regulated on activated CD4 T-cells, can bind to PD-L1 expressed on monocytes and induces IL-10 production by the latter.

Signaling

Engagement of PD-L1 with its receptor PD-1 on T cells delivers a signal that inhibits TCR-mediated activation of IL-2 production and T cell proliferation. The mechanism involves inhibition of ZAP70 phosphorylation and its association with CD3ζ. PD-1 signaling attenuates PKC-θ activation loop phosphorylation (resulting from TCR signaling), necessary for the activation of transcription factors NF-κB and AP-1, and for production of IL-2. PD-L1 binding to PD-1 also contributes to ligand-induced TCR down-modulation during antigen presentation to naive T cells, by inducing the up-regulation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase CBL-b.

Regulation

By interferons

Upon IFN-γ stimulation, PD-L1 is expressed on T cells, NK cells, macrophages, myeloid DCs, B cells, epithelial cells, and vascular endothelial cells. The PD-L1 gene promoter region has a response element to IRF-1, the interferon regulatory factor. Type I interferons can also upregulate PD-L1 on murine hepatocytes, monocytes, DCs, and tumor cells.

On macrophages and monocytes

PD-L1 is notably expressed on macrophages. In the mouse, it has been shown that classically activated macrophages (induced by type I helper T cells or a combination of LPS and interferon-gamma) greatly upregulate PD-L1. Alternatively, macrophages activated by IL-4 (alternative macrophages), slightly upregulate PD-L1, while greatly upregulating PD-L2. It has been shown by STAT1-deficient knock-out mice that STAT1 is mostly responsible for upregulation of PD-L1 on macrophages by LPS or interferon-gamma, but is not at all responsible for its constitutive expression before activation in these mice. It was also shown that PD-L1 is constituvely expressed on mouse Ly6C^lo nonclassical monocytes in steady state.

Role of microRNAs

Resting human cholangiocytes express PD-L1 mRNA, but not the protein, due to translational suppression by microRNA miR-513. Upon treatment with interferon-gamma, miR-513 was down-regulated, thereby lifting suppression of PD-L1 protein. In this way, interferon-gamma can induce PD-L1 protein expression by inhibiting gene-mediated suppression of mRNA translation. Whereas the Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) latent membrane protein-1 (LMP1) is a known potent inducer of PD-L1, the EBV miRNA miR-BamH1 fragment H rightward open reading frame 1 (BHRF1) 2-5p has been shown to regulate LMP1 induced PD-L1 expression.

Epigenetic regulation

PD-L1 promoter DNA methylation may predict survival in some cancers after surgery.

Clinical significance

Cancer

PD-L1 is shown to be highly expressed in a variety of malignancies, particularly lung cancer. In order to anticipate the effectiveness of gene therapy or systemic immunotherapy in blocking the PD-1 and PD-L1 checkpoints, PD-L1 might be employed as a prognostic marker and a target for anti-cancer immunity. i.e. upregulation of PD-L1 may allow cancers to evade the host immune system. For example, an analysis of 196 tumor specimens from patients with renal cell carcinoma found that high tumor expression of PD-L1 was associated with increased tumor aggressiveness and a 4.5-fold increased risk of death. In a model of A20 leukemia cells injected into F1 mice, NK cells killed target tumor cells with similar efficiency regardless of PD-L1 expression, whereas PD-L1 expression on A20 tumor cells conferred significant tumor protection against rejection by CD8 T cells confirming the role of the co-inhibitory receptor PD-1 in the modulation of their cytotoxic activity.

Many PD-L1 inhibitors are in development as immuno-oncology therapies and are showing good results in clinical trials. Clinically available examples include durvalumab, atezolizumab and avelumab. In normal tissue, feedback between transcription factors like STAT3 and NF-κB restricts the immune response to protect host tissue and limit inflammation. In cancer, loss of feedback restriction between transcription factors can lead to increased local PD-L1 expression, which could limit the effectiveness of systemic treatment with agents targeting PD-L1. CAR-T and NK cells targeting PD-L1 are being evaluated for treating cancer. pSTAT-1 and PDL-1 expressions also strongly correlate in prostate cancer.

Upregulation of PD-L1 on immune cells (especially myeloid cells) can also lead to formation of an immunosuppressive environment in a highly localized manner that also allow the cancer cells to proliferate.

PD-L1 analysis in TNBC is essential for selecting patients eligible for immunotherapy. Inter-observer and intra-observer agreement among the pathologists were found to be substantial. Cases around the 1% cut-off value are specifically challenging.

Listeria monocytogenes

In a mouse model of intracellular infection, L. monocytogenes induced PD-L1 protein expression in T cells, NK cells, and macrophages. PD-L1 blockade (using blocking antibodies) resulted in increased mortality for infected mice. Blockade reduced TNFα and nitric oxide production by macrophages, reduced granzyme B production by NK cells, and decreased proliferation of L. monocytogenes antigen-specific CD8 T cells (but not CD4 T cells). This evidence suggests that PD-L1 acts as a positive costimulatory molecule in intracellular infection.

Autoimmunity

PD-1/PD-L1 interaction is thought to play a role in preventing destructive autoimmunity, especially during inflammatory conditions. The best example is in the stomach, where PD-1 expression protects the gastrin expressing G-cells from the immune system during Helicobacter pylori-provoked inflammation. But also a variety of pre-clinical studies support the notion that the PD-1/PD-L1 interaction is implicated in autoimmunity. NOD mice, an animal model for autoimmunity that exhibit a susceptibility to spontaneous development of type I diabetes and other autoimmune diseases, have been shown to develop precipitated onset of diabetes from blockade of PD-1 or PD-L1 (but not PD-L2).

In humans, PD-L1 was found to have altered expression in pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Studying isolated PBMC from healthy children, immature myeloid dendritic cells and monocytes expressed little PD-L1 at initial isolation, but spontaneously up-regulated PD-L1 by 24 hours. In contrast, both mDC and monocytes from patients with active SLE failed to upregulate PD-L1 over a 5-day time course, expressing this protein only during disease remissions. This may be one mechanism whereby peripheral tolerance is lost in SLE.