PD-L1-mediated gasdermin C expression switches apoptosis to pyroptosis in cancer cells and facilitates tumour necrosis

Junwei Hou, Rongce Zhao, Weiya Xia, Chiung Wen Chang, Yun You, Jung Mao Hsu, Lei Nie, Yeh Chen, Yu Chuan Wang, Chunxiao Liu, Wei Jan Wang, Yun Wu, Baozhen Ke, Jennifer L. Hsu, Kebin Huang, Zu Ye, Yi Yang, Xianghou Xia, Yintao Li, Chia Wei LiBin Shao, John A. Tainer, Mien Chie Hung

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

499 Scopus citations

Abstract

Although pyroptosis is critical for macrophages against pathogen infection, its role and mechanism in cancer cells remains unclear. PD-L1 has been detected in the nucleus, with unknown function. Here we show that PD-L1 switches TNFα-induced apoptosis to pyroptosis in cancer cells, resulting in tumour necrosis. Under hypoxia, p-Stat3 physically interacts with PD-L1 and facilitates its nuclear translocation, enhancing the transcription of the gasdermin C (GSDMC) gene. GSDMC is specifically cleaved by caspase-8 with TNFα treatment, generating a GSDMC N-terminal domain that forms pores on the cell membrane and induces pyroptosis. Nuclear PD-L1, caspase-8 and GSDMC are required for macrophage-derived TNFα-induced tumour necrosis in vivo. Moreover, high expression of GSDMC correlates with poor survival. Antibiotic chemotherapy drugs induce pyroptosis in breast cancer. These findings identify a non-immune checkpoint function of PD-L1 and provide an unexpected concept that GSDMC/caspase-8 mediates a non-canonical pyroptosis pathway in cancer cells, causing tumour necrosis.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1264-1275
Number of pages12
JournalNature cell biology
Volume22
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 1 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cell Biology

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