Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32698059›Full record

ArticleTranslational oncology2020

Tumor-associated neutrophils suppress antitumor immunity of NK cells through the PD-L1/PD-1 axis.

Rui Sun, Yingying Xiong, Haojing Liu, Chang Gao, Li Su, Jun Weng, Xianglin Yuan, Dongxin Zhang, Jueping Feng

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational oncology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 83 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
83citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.9field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

83 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 100 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Neutrophils in cancer.Nature reviews. Cancer · 2026
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Do Metastatic Cells Arise from PD-L1International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Review
  11. IL-18-Mediated Tumor Immune Evasion.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026
    Review
  12. Elevated circulating CD10Annals of hematology · 2026
    Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Review
  17. Article
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Article

23 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Rui SunDepartment of Oncology, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China.
Yingying XiongDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China.
Haojing LiuDepartment of Scientific Research, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China.
Chang GaoDepartment of Oncology, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China.
Li SuKey Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Jun WengKey Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of Ministry of Education, School of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, China.
Xianglin YuanDepartment of Oncology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430022, China.
Dongxin ZhangDepartment of Clinical Laboratory, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China. Electronic address: dxzhang@hust.edu.cn).
Jueping FengDepartment of Oncology, Wuhan Fourth Hospital, Puai Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430033, China. Electronic address: fengjuepingpuai@163.com.
Huazhong University of Science and Technology · CNWuhan Puai Hospital · CNTongji Hospital · CN

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Studies have begun to emerge showing the protumor effects of tumor-associated neutrophils (TANs) in tumorigenesis, which may involve dysfunction of NK cells. However, the mechanism through which these rebellious neutrophils modulate NK cell immunity in tumor-bearing state remains unclear. In the present study, we demonstrate that neutrophils can impair the cytotoxicity and infiltration capability of NK cells, and downregulate CCR1 resulting in the weakened infiltration capability of NK cells. Moreover, neutrophils can decrease the responsiveness of NK-activating receptors, NKp46 and NKG2D. Mechanistically, enhanced PD-L1 on neutrophils and PD-1 on NK cells, and subsequent PD-L1/PD-1 interactions were the main mechanisms determining the suppression of neutrophils in NK cell immunity. G-CSF/STAT3 pathway was responsible for PD-L1 upregulation on neutrophils, while IL-18 was essential for PD-1 enhancement on NK cells. The crosstalk between neutrophils and NK cells was cell-cell interaction-dependent. These findings suggest that neutrophils can suppress the antitumor immunity of NK cells in tumor-bearing status through the PD-L1/PD-1 axis, highlighting the importance of PD-L1/PD-1 in the inhibitory effect of neutrophils on NK cells. Targeting G-CSF/STAT3 and IL-18 signaling pathway may be potential strategies to inhibit residual tumor in tumor therapy.

Identifiers

PMID32698059
PMCPMC7372151
OpenAlexW3042377295

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.