Cited by 490Cancer Immunotherapy and BiomarkersImmunotherapy and Immune ResponsesT-cell and B-cell Immunology

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 47 of the 47 references it cites were found in a registry or an index; 4 of the 6 sources its claims cite were checked for support.

Inhibition of PCSK9 potentiates immune checkpoint therapy for cancer

Open access

Abstract

Despite its success in achieving the long-term survival of 10-30% of treated individuals, immune therapy is still ineffective for most patients with cancer 1,2. Many efforts are therefore underway to identify new approaches that enhance such immune 'checkpoint' therapy 3-5 (so called because its aim is to block proteins that inhibit checkpoint signalling pathways in T cells, thereby freeing those immune cells to target cancer cells). Here we show that inhibiting PCSK9-a key protein in the regulation of cholesterol metabolism 6-8-can boost the response of tumours to immune checkpoint therapy, through a mechanism that is independent of PCSK9's cholesterol-regulating functions. Deleting the PCSK9 gene in mouse cancer cells substantially attenuates or prevents their growth in mice in a manner that depends on cytotoxic T cells. It also enhances the efficacy of immune therapy that is targeted at the checkpoint protein PD1. Furthermore, clinically approved PCSK9-neutralizing antibodies synergize with anti-PD1 therapy in suppressing tumour growth in mouse models of cancer. Inhibiting PCSK9-either through genetic deletion or using PCSK9 antibodies-increases the expression of major histocompatibility protein class I (MHC I) proteins on the tumour cell surface, promoting robust intratumoral infiltration of cytotoxic T cells. Mechanistically, we find that PCSK9 can disrupt the recycling of MHC I to the cell surface by associating with it physically and promoting its relocation and degradation in the lysosome. Together, these results suggest that inhibiting PCSK9 is a promising way to enhance immune checkpoint therapy for cancer.

Overview

AI snapshot

Written from the paper’s full text.

TL;DR

PCSK9 inhibition, via genetic deletion or clinically approved antibodies, potentiates anti-PD1 immune checkpoint therapy in murine tumors by increasing tumor-cell surface MHC I and cytotoxic T-cell infiltration, independent of cholesterol/LDLR regulation. PCSK9 physically promotes MHC I lysosomal degradation, and high tumor PCSK9 mRNA correlates with worse overall survival in TCGA cohorts.

Key findings

  • PCSK9 knockout in B16F10, 4T1, MC38, and CT26 murine cancer cells attenuated tumor growth in syngeneic mice; this effect was absent in T/B/NK-deficient NCG mice and Rag1-deficient mice, and CD8+ T-cell depletion completely abolished the tumor growth delay.
  • PCSK9 deficiency synergized with anti-PD1 therapy in all four tumor models; evolocumab or alirocumab plus anti-PD1 suppressed MC38 tumor growth and produced long-term survival in some mice, and evolocumab was effective in anti-PD1-resistant MC38R tumors but had no effect on PCSK9-deficient MC38 tumors.
  • PCSK9 inhibition increased tumor cell surface MHC I (H2-Kb/SIINFEKL, H2b, H2d, HLA-A2), intratumoral CD8+ CTLs, CD4+ Th cells, γδT cells, NK cells, CTL/Treg ratios, IFNγ+ and GZMB+ CTLs, and TCR counts/diversity, without significant increases in Tregs or exhaustion markers.
  • Mechanistically, PCSK9 bound H2-K1 via its M2 domain and H2-K1 aa68–70, promoting MHC I relocation to the lysosome and degradation; LDLR knockdown did not affect MHC I surface levels or the growth suppression caused by PCSK9 deficiency, and high PCSK9 mRNA was associated with worse overall survival in 9 TCGA cancer cohorts.

Methods

  • Murine cancer cell lines (B16F10, 4T1, MC38, CT26) and human MDA-MB-231 cells were modified with CRISPR/Cas9 PCSK9 knockout, LDLR knockdown/knockout, or H2-K1 knockout/overexpression; in vitro growth and soft agar assays were used, and in vivo experiments used syngeneic C57BL/6J or Balb/c mice, NCG mice, Rag1−/− mice, LDLR−/− mice on high-fat diet, and OT-1 transgenic mice.
  • Tumor growth delay, survival, in vivo competition, and re-challenge experiments were performed; treatments included anti-PD1 (clone RMP1–14), evolocumab, alirocumab, isotype controls, and antibody-mediated depletion of CD4+, CD8+, or NK cells.
  • Analyses included flow cytometry, immunofluorescence, qRT-PCR, TCR sequencing, co-immunoprecipitation, cell fractionation, cycloheximide chase, and bafilomycin treatment; human correlations used GENT for PCSK9/CD8A and TCGA/cBioPortal for PCSK9 mRNA and overall survival, with two-way ANOVA, log-rank tests, and unpaired two-sided t tests.

Limitations

  • The paper states that no randomization or blinding was used in the tumor growth delay experiments.
  • The paper has no explicit limitations section; evident from the text, the efficacy and mechanistic findings are primarily preclinical in murine tumor models and cell lines, and the human evidence is correlative (GENT/TCGA), not from a clinical trial of PCSK9 inhibition plus checkpoint blockade.
  • Also evident, several mechanistic domain-mapping experiments rely on overexpression or deletion mutants in 293T/B16F10 cells, which may not fully reflect endogenous PCSK9–MHC I interactions.

Model-written summary. Check it against the paper before relying on it.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1038/s41586-020-2911-7

Cites

47 of 47 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Verification

Claims the paper makes

78 Own result · 19 Own method · 19 Own interpretation · 2 Partly supported · 2 No full text of the sources · 1 Supported · accuracy not yet measured

Show all 87 claims

  • It may state two separate claims as one. 14
  • The quote only partly states this claim. 12
  • Probably not a substantial claim. 19
34 of 34
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Findings from murine tumor models and cell lines will translate to human cancer patients.

    “provide compelling rationales for conducting future clinical trials in human cancer patients”
  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Combining PCSK9 inhibitors with immune checkpoint blockade will not add side effects.

    “Given the well-known safety profiles of the anti-PCSK9 antibodies, PCSK9 inhibitors may enhance immune checkpoint blockade therapy without additional side effects.”
2 of 2

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

2 of 2

Citations

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Metadata

Authors
Liu, X., Bao, X., Hu, M., Chang, H., Jiao, M., Cheng, J., Xie, L., Huang, Q., Li, F., & Li, C.-Y.
Affiliations
  • Sun Yat-sen University (CN)
  • Duke Medical Center (US)
  • Shanghai Jiao Tong University (CN)
  • Fudan University (CN)
  • Duke University (US)
Corresponding author
Li, Chuan-Yuan
Venue
Nature
Published
2020-11-11
Volume
588
Issue
7839
Pages
693-698
ISSN
  • 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
  • 1476-4687
OpenAlex
W3103804121
Cited by
490
References
47
Citations by year
2026: 60 · 2025: 107 · 2024: 106 · 2023: 81 · 2022: 73 · 2021: 60 · 2020: 2
FWCI
17.32
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Nature (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Institutes of Health (2p30ca014236-51)
  • National Cancer Institute (P30‐CA014236, R01 CA208852, R01CA216876)
  • National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (R01ES024015)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer Immunotherapy and Biomarkers
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › Immunotherapy and Immune Responses
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Immunology › T-cell and B-cell Immunology
Keywords
PCSK9 inhibition, immune checkpoint therapy, anti-PD-1 therapy, cancer immunotherapy, cytotoxic T lymphocytes, tumor surveillance, lysosomal degradation, antigen presentation, tumor growth inhibition
MeSH terms
Proprotein Convertase 9, Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors, PCSK9 Inhibitors, Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Humans, Immunotherapy, Lysosomes, Neoplasms, T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I, Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays, Cell Line, Tumor, Mice, Antibodies, Neutralizing, Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor

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