| خلاصه مقاله | Introduction: Still, colorectal cancer (CRC) is considered to be the leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide despite the many attempts that have been made to prevent its progression. The PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway plays a crucial role in local immunosuppression within the tumor microenvironment. PD-L1 is frequently found in human cancers and on activated T cells. When PD-L1 binds to its receptor, it inhibits anti-tumor immune responses by blocking the activation signals of T cells. Recent advances have highlighted the role of exosomes (small extracellular vesicles) as key mediators of intercellular communication, transferring various bioactive molecules, including proteins, metabolites, amino acids, and non-coding RNAs. Such exosomal non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs, long non-coding RNAs, and circular RNAs, play a key role in CRC tumorigenesis and metastasis within the tumor microenvironment by regulating the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway. Therefore, they can be used as potential novel cancer biomarkers and immunotherapeutic targets. This review article explores the association of exosomal microRNAs and the PD-1/PD-L1 signaling pathway in CRC.
Methods: We conducted a comprehensive search in the PubMed and Google Scholar databases using keywords such as CRC, exosome, microRNA, PD-L1, and immunotherapy to identify original research articles that investigated the role of exosomal microRNAs in modulating the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in CRC.
Results: Exosomal miR-17-5p fromCRC stem cells inhibits SPOP, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, which leads to the stabilization of PD-L1 and a decrease in anti-tumor immune responses. This process promotes the proliferation of CRC cells and reduce the infiltration of CD8+ T-cells. Additionally, exosomal miR-372-5p from CRC cells diminish PTEN levels, which activates the PI3K/AKT/NF-κB signaling pathway, resulting in increased PD-L1 expression in macrophages and tumor cells. Exosomal circEIF3K derived from cancer-associated fibroblasts enhances the progression ofCRC through the miR-214/PD-L1 pathway. Exosomes derived from tumor cells containing lncRNA KCNQ1OT1 facilitate immune evasion in CRC by targeting the miR-30a-5p/USP22 pathway, which leads to the suppression of PD-L1 and dampens the response of CD8+ T-cells.
Conclusion: Exosomal Non-coding RNAs play a pivotal role in modulating PD-L1 expression in CRC, enabling tumor immune evasion and progression. The findings of this work may help control and eradicate CRC by utilizing exosomal RNA content. |