Identification of chemical compounds regulating PD-L1 by introducing HiBiT-tagged cells

FEBS Lett. 2021 Mar;595(5):563-576. doi: 10.1002/1873-3468.14032. Epub 2021 Jan 20.

Abstract

Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a co-inhibitory molecule expressed on tumor cells. Immune checkpoint inhibitors focusing on the PD-L1 mechanism are now being studied for the treatment of various cancer types. However, the regulatory mechanism of PD-L1 is yet to be fully clarified, and a high-throughput system for comparing the abilities of small compounds in regulating PD-L1 has not yet been established. Therefore, we created a HiBiT-tagged lung adenocarcinoma cell line, PC9-KI, for easier and faster detection of changes in PD-L1 protein expression. Using PC9-KI cells, we screened 1280 chemical compounds from the Library of Pharmacologically Active Compounds and identified microtubule polymerization inhibitors and thapsigargin as PD-L1 upregulators and a p97 inhibitor as a PD-L1 downregulator.

Keywords: HiBiT; PD-L1; chemical compound; endogenous protein; high-throughput screening.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • B7-H1 Antigen / agonists
  • B7-H1 Antigen / antagonists & inhibitors
  • B7-H1 Antigen / genetics*
  • B7-H1 Antigen / metabolism
  • Benzimidazoles / pharmacology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Founder Effect
  • Gene Expression
  • Genes, Reporter
  • High-Throughput Screening Assays
  • Humans
  • Luminescent Measurements
  • Oligopeptides / genetics
  • Oligopeptides / metabolism
  • Protein Engineering / methods
  • Quinazolines / pharmacology
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / genetics*
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins / metabolism
  • Respiratory Mucosa / drug effects*
  • Respiratory Mucosa / metabolism
  • Respiratory Mucosa / pathology
  • Small Molecule Libraries / pharmacology*
  • Thapsigargin / pharmacology
  • Tubulin Modulators / pharmacology*
  • Valosin Containing Protein / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Valosin Containing Protein / genetics
  • Valosin Containing Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • Benzimidazoles
  • CD274 protein, human
  • ML240 compound
  • Oligopeptides
  • Quinazolines
  • Recombinant Fusion Proteins
  • Small Molecule Libraries
  • Tubulin Modulators
  • Thapsigargin
  • VCP protein, human
  • Valosin Containing Protein