Using PD-L1 to Induce Chemosensitization of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objectives:(1) Investigate the impact of programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) on the response to Cisplatin (CDDP) therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). (2) Quantify the effect of CDDP treatment on the expression of PD-L1 in HNSCC cells. (3) Evaluate the impact of PD-L1 down-regulation on the chemosensitivty of HNSCC cells. (4) Describe the implications of PD-L1 modulation on the efficacy of current platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents in HNSCC.Methods:In vitro experiments were performed from November 2013 to January 2014 at the University of Pennsylvania Gene and Molecular Therapy Laboratory with 4 well-characterized human HNSCC cell lines. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and western blot were conducted to determine the baseline and post-CDDP treatment PD-L1 gene expression. Knockdown of PD-L1 expression using siRNA was then performed to induce chemosensitization of HNSCC cells to CDDP. Cells treated with CDDP were compared with untreated controls to evaluate cytotoxi...