Tumor-Intrinsic PD-L1 Promotes Breast Cancer Proliferation Through Livin and Galectin-1-Mediated Regulation of SKP2 Expression
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: (SKP2-p21/p27) axis. However, the specific regulatory signaling through which PD-L1 influences the SKP2-p21/p27 axis to drive cell proliferation remains unclear. To investigate how PD-L1 mediates SKP2-dependent proliferation, proteomic analyses, gene-expression manipulation via knockdown or overexpression, Western blotting, quantitative immunofluorescence, colony-forming assays, real-time cell analysis, and Xenograft-derived cells were used. Proteomic data analysis identified several PD-L1 downstream targets as potential candidate regulators of the SKP2-p21/p27 axis and activators of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Candidate screening by gene knockdown, followed by analyses of SKP2, p21, and p27 protein expression, revealed Livin and Galectin-1 as upstream regulators of the SKP2-p21/p27 axis. Moreover, Western blotting and quantitative immunofluorescence in three breast cancer cell lines confirmed that PD-L1 is an upstream regulator of Livin, Galectin-1, and SKP2 protein expression. Mechanistically, Livin and Galectin-1 enhanced AKT phosphorylation (Ser473) to sustain PI3K/AKT pathway activation in a positive feedback loop to upregulate SKP2 expression. Functional assays, including colony-forming assays and real-time cell analyzer, demonstrated that Livin and Galectin-1 are critical for PD-L1-mediated, SKP2-dependent proliferation. These findings were corroborated in vivo using xenograft-derived cells. Overall, these findings delineate a tumor-intrinsic signaling axis in which PD-L1 upregulates Livin and Galectin-1 to sustain PI3K/AKT activity and drive SKP2-dependent cell proliferation. Targeting Livin and/or Galectin-1 may provide a rational strategy to disrupt PD-L1-associated proliferative signaling and improve combinatorial therapeutic approaches in breast cancer.
DOI: 10.3390/ijms27062741
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,499
OpenAlex ID: W7138390018