Abstract 5870: T-cell factor-4 variants regulate PD-L1 expression in liver cancer cells
Authors: Koga Hironori , Imamura Yasuko , Tanaka Toshimitsu , Iwamoto Hideki , Nakamura Toru , Masuda Atsutaka , Sakaue Takahiko , Suzuki Hiroyuki , Yano Hirohisa , Kawaguchi Takumi 
Published: April 2023

Background: We previously identified 14 isoforms of T-cell factor (TCF)-4, a key transcriptional factor in the Wnt signaling pathway, from human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cell lines (Exp Cell Res 2011). The TCF-4J and K pair has been characterized based on the presence (K) or absence (J) of a conserved SxxSS motif at the head of exon 9. TCF-4J-overexpressing HCC cells (J cells) exhibited high tumorigenic potential in contrast to TCF-4K-overexpressing cells (K cells) (PLoS ONE 2012); however, resistance to anti-cancer agents was more prominent in K cells than J cells. Another analysis demonstrated that loss of exon 4 increased resistance to chemotherapeutic agents and induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) (Liver Int 2013). EMT and the expression of programmed cell death 1-ligand 1 (PD-L1) is closely associated with each other, and our preliminary study revealed that EMT was regulated by TCF-4 variants, suggesting possible involvement of the variants in the regulation of PD-L1 expression. In general, PD-L1 is known to be upregulated by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) under hypoxic conditions. Therefore, if the TCF-4 variants regulate PD-L1 expression under normoxia, it would be a unique mechanism bridging the Wnt signaling pathway and the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME).

Aim: To assess whether or not the TCF-4 variants regulate the expression of PD-L1 in cancer cells under normoxia.

Methods: HAK-1A, a well-differentiated HCC cell line (Hepatology 1993), was used in this study. TCF-4K mutants (S269A, S272A, and S273A) were prepared with the conversion of serine (S) in the SxxSS motif to alanine (A) by site-directed mutagenesis. HAK-1A-derived stable clones overexpressing TCF-4J, K, and K-mutants (S269A, S272A, and S273A cells, respectively) were established. Empty vector-transfected mock cells (EV cells) were used as a control. Western blot analysis and real-time RT-PCR were employed to evaluate protein and mRNA expression levels, respectively.

Results: J cells and K cells expressed PD-L1 mRNA 2-fold and 4-fold of that in the EV cells, respectively. Of note, the PD-L1 expression mRNA was enhanced up to 11-fold in S269A cells, 11-fold in S272A cells, and 17-fold in S273A cells. The increased mRNA expressions were verified in protein levels.

Conclusion: PD-L1 expression was regulated by TCF-4 variants in liver cancer cells under normoxic conditions. The finding suggests that the Wnt signaling pathway fine-tunes the TIME by regulating the expression levels of PD-L1 in a HIF-1α-independent manner.

Citation Format: Hironori Koga, Yasuko Imamura, Toshimitsu Tanaka, Hideki Iwamoto, Toru Nakamura, Atsutaka Masuda, Takahiko Sakaue, Hiroyuki Suzuki, Hirohisa Yano, Takumi Kawaguchi. T-cell factor-4 variants regulate PD-L1 expression in liver cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 5870.