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Yang Y, Li Z, Wang Y, Gao J, Meng Y, Wang S, Zhao X, Tang C, Yang W, Li Y, Bao J, Fan X, Tang J, Yang J, Wu C, Qin M, Wang L. The regulatory relationship between NAMPT and PD-L1 in cancer and identification of a dual-targeting inhibitor. EMBO Mol Med 2024; 16:885-903. [PMID: 38448544 PMCID: PMC11018795 DOI: 10.1038/s44321-024-00051-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 02/20/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Cancer is a heterogeneous disease. Although both tumor metabolism and tumor immune microenvironment are recognized as driving factors in tumorigenesis, the relationship between them is still not well-known, and potential combined targeting approaches remain to be identified. Here, we demonstrated a negative correlation between the expression of NAMPT, an NAD+ metabolism enzyme, and PD-L1 expression in various cancer cell lines. A clinical study showed that a NAMPTHigh PD-L1Low expression pattern predicts poor prognosis in patients with various cancers. In addition, pharmacological inhibition of NAMPT results in the transcription upregulation of PD-L1 by SIRT-mediated acetylation change of NF-κB p65, and blocking PD-L1 would induce NAMPT expression through a HIF-1-dependent glycolysis pathway. Based on these findings, we designed and synthesized a dual NAMPT/PD-L1 targeting compound, LZFPN-90, which inhibits cell growth in a NAMPT-dependent manner and blocks the cell cycle, subsequently inducing apoptosis. Under co-culture conditions, LZFPN-90 treatment contributes to the proliferation and activation of T cells and blocks the growth of cancer cells. Using mice bearing genetically manipulated tumors, we confirmed that LZFPN-90 exerted target-dependent antitumor activities, affecting metabolic processes and the immune system. In conclusion, our results demonstrate the relevance of NAD+-related metabolic processes in antitumor immunity and suggest that co-targeting NAD+ metabolism and PD-L1 represents a promising therapeutic approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Zefei Li
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Yidong Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Jiwei Gao
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Yangyang Meng
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Simeng Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Xiaoyao Zhao
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Chengfang Tang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Weiming Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Yingjia Li
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Jie Bao
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00290, Finland
| | - Xinyu Fan
- Department of Pharmacy, Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University, 110004, Shenyang, PR China
| | - Jing Tang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, 00290, Finland
| | - Jingyu Yang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Chunfu Wu
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China
| | - Mingze Qin
- Key Laboratory of Structure-Based Drug Design and Discovery, Ministry of Education, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China.
| | - Lihui Wang
- Department of Pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Shenyang, PR China.
- Benxi Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, Benxi, PR China.
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