Laminin gamma 2-mediating T cell exclusion attenuates response to anti-PD-1 therapy

PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapies provide notable clinical benefits for patients with advanced cancers, but the factors influencing the effectiveness of the treatment remain incompletely cataloged. Here, the up-regulation of laminin gamma 2 (Ln-gamma 2) predicted the attenuated efficacy of anti-PD-1 drugs and was associated with unfavorable outcomes in patients with lung cancer or esophageal cancer. Furthermore, Ln-gamma 2 was transcriptionally activated by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) secreted from cancer-associated fibroblasts via JNK/AP1 signaling, which blocked T cell infiltration into the tumor nests by altering the expression of T cell receptors. Coadministration of the TGF-beta receptor inhibitor galunisertib and chemotherapy drugs provoked vigorous antitumor activity of anti-PD-1 therapy in mouse tumor models. Therefore, Ln-gamma 2 may represent a useful biomarker to optimize clinical decisions and predict the response of cancer patients to treatment with anti-PD-1 drugs.

Automated summary

PD-1/PD-L1 blockade therapies have shown significant clinical benefits for advanced cancer patients, but the effectiveness of treatment can be hindered by the up-regulation of laminin gamma 2 (Ln-gamma 2) in the tumor microenvironment, which is transcriptionally activated by transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-beta 1) through JNK/AP1 signaling. Co-administration of a TGF-beta receptor inhibitor and chemotherapy drugs can enhance the anti-tumor activity of anti-PD-1 therapy.