1. BET inhibition triggers antitumor immunity by enhancing MHC class I expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
- Author
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Ming Zhang, Ganping Wang, Zhikun Ma, Gan Xiong, Wenjin Wang, Zhengxian Huang, Yuehan Wan, Xiuyun Xu, Rosalie G. Hoyle, Chen Yi, Jinsong Hou, Xiqiang Liu, Demeng Chen, Jiong Li, and Cheng Wang
- Subjects
Pharmacology ,Squamous Cell Carcinoma of Head and Neck ,Histocompatibility Antigens Class I ,Nuclear Proteins ,Cell Cycle Proteins ,CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ,Head and Neck Neoplasms ,Cell Line, Tumor ,Drug Discovery ,Genetics ,Humans ,Molecular Medicine ,Molecular Biology ,Transcription Factors - Abstract
BET inhibition has been shown to have a promising antitumor effect in multiple tumors. However, the impact of BET inhibition on antitumor immunity was still not well documented in HNSCC. In this study, we aim to assess the functional role of BET inhibition in antitumor immunity and clarify its mechanism. We show that BRD4 is highly expressed in HNSCC and inversely correlated with the infiltration of CD8sup+/supT cells. BET inhibition potentiates CD8sup+/supT cell-based antitumor immunity in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, BRD4 acts as a transcriptional suppressor and represses the expression of MHC class I molecules by recruiting G9a. Pharmacological inhibition or genetic depletion of BRD4 potently increases the expression of MHC class I molecules in the absence and presence of IFN-γ. Moreover, compared to PD-1 blocking antibody treatment or JQ1 treatment individually, the combination of BET inhibition with anti-PD-1 antibody treatment significantly enhances the antitumor response in HNSCC. Taken together, our data unveil a novel mechanism by which BET inhibition potentiates antitumor immunity via promoting the expression of MHC class I molecules and provides a rationale for the combination of ICBs with BET inhibitors for HNSCC treatment.
- Published
- 2022