Oncotarget

Research Papers:

Regulatory B cells induced by pancreatic cancer cell-derived interleukin-18 promote immune tolerance via the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway

Yan Zhao, Ming Shen, Yecheng Feng, Ruizhi He, Xiaodong Xu, Yu Xie, Xiuhui Shi, Min Zhou, Shutao Pan, Min Wang, Xingjun Guo _ and Renyi Qin

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Oncotarget. 2018; 9:14803-14814. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.22976

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Abstract

Yan Zhao1, Ming Shen1, Yecheng Feng1, Ruizhi He1, Xiaodong Xu1, Yu Xie1, Xiuhui Shi1, Min Zhou1, Shutao Pan1, Min Wang1, Xingjun Guo1 and Renyi Qin1

1Department of Biliary-Pancreatic Surgery, Affiliated Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China

Correspondence to:

Xingjun Guo, email: [email protected]

Renyi Qin, email: [email protected]

Keywords: pancreatic cancer; interleukin-18; regulatory B cells; immune tolerance; PD-1/PD-L1 pathway

Received: May 19, 2017     Accepted: November 14, 2017     Epub: December 07, 2017     Published: March 13, 2018

ABSTRACT

Dysregulation of regulatory B cells (Bregs), a type of immunosuppressive lymphocyte, are associated with development of autoimmune diseases and cancers. Bregs produce immune tolerance-inducing cell surface molecules and tolerogenic cytokines (interleukin [IL]-10 and transforming growth factor-beta). We previously showed that levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-18 were increased in patients with pancreatic cancer. In the present study study, we found that pancreatic cancer cell-derived IL-18 increases Breg-induced immunosuppression. IL-18 also promoted B-cell proliferation and IL-10 expression in vivo and in vitro. In addition, IL-18 upregulated membrane PD-1 in B cells and inhibited the antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity of Tc cells and natural killer cells. Finally, the combination of a natural IL-18 inhibitor (IL-18BP) and a PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor suppressed tumor growth and metastasis in a murine pancreatic cancer model. Our results show that IL-18 and PD-1/PD-L1 could be therapeutic targets in pancreatic cancer.


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