Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33909988›Full record

ArticleMolecular cell2021

Energy status dictates PD-L1 protein abundance and anti-tumor immunity to enable checkpoint blockade.

Xiaoming Dai, Xia Bu, Yang Gao, Jianping Guo, Jia Hu, Cong Jiang, Zhao Zhang, Kexin Xu, Jinzhi Duan, Shaohui He and 7 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular cell, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 147 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
147citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
22.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% 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

147 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 238 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  11. Adaptive resistance in cancer immunotherapy.Cellular & molecular immunology · 2026
    Review
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87 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

17 authors at 6 institutions in 3 countries.

Xiaoming DaiDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Xia BuDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
Yang GaoDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
Jianping GuoDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Jia HuDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Cong JiangDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Zhao ZhangDepartment of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
Kexin XuDepartment of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA.
Jinzhi DuanDivision of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Shaohui HeDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Jinfang ZhangDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Lixin WanDepartment of Molecular Oncology, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
Tianjie LiuDepartment of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710061, China.
Xiaobo ZhouChanning Division of Network Medicine, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Mien-Chie HungGraduate Institute of Biomedical Sciences and Center for Molecular Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung 404, Taiwan.
Gordon J FreemanDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA. Electronic address: gordon_freeman@dfci.harvard.edu.
Wenyi WeiDepartment of Pathology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Electronic address: wwei2@bidmc.harvard.edu.
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center · USHarvard University · USThe University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio · USChina Medical University · TWFirst Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University · CNMoffitt Cancer Center · US

Funding

Treating the P13-Kinase/AKTP50CA101942 · NCI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI David McDermott · 2003 to 2026
$53.4M
Targeting SYK Kinase in AMLP50CA206963 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI STEGMAIER, KIMBERLY · 2017 to 2021
$10.6M
Deciphering the physiological role and interplay between ubiquitination and phosphorylation pathways to guide targeted cancer therapiesR35CA253027 · NCI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI Wenyi Wei · 2020 to 2026
$6.2M
Novel regulation of PI3K/Akt to direct targeted breast cancer therapiesR01CA177910 · NCI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI WEI, WENYI · 2013 to 2023
$3.9M
Functional analysis of beta-TRCP in cell cycle control and DNA damage responseR01GM094777 · NIGMS · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI WEI, WENYI · 2012 to 2015
$1.3M
Elucidating a Novel Mechanism for LATS1/2 in Suppressing TumorigenesisK99CA259329 · NCI · BETH ISRAEL DEACONESS MEDICAL CENTER · PI DAI, XIAOMING · 2021 to 2022
$340k
NCI NIH HHS K99 CA259329NCI NIH HHS P50 CA101942NCI NIH HHS P50 CA206963NCI NIH HHS R01 CA177910NCI NIH HHS R35 CA253027NIGMS NIH HHS R01 GM094777
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Aberrant energy status contributes to multiple metabolic diseases, including obesity, diabetes, and cancer, but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Here, we report that ketogenic-diet-induced changes in energy status enhance the efficacy of anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy by decreasing PD-L1 protein levels and increasing expression of type-I interferon (IFN) and antigen presentation genes. Mechanistically, energy deprivation activates AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which in turn, phosphorylates PD-L1 on Ser283, thereby disrupting its interaction with CMTM4 and subsequently triggering PD-L1 degradation. In addition, AMPK phosphorylates EZH2, which disrupts PRC2 function, leading to enhanced IFNs and antigen presentation gene expression. Through these mechanisms, AMPK agonists or ketogenic diets enhance the efficacy of anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy and improve the overall survival rate in syngeneic mouse tumor models. Our findings reveal a pivotal role for AMPK in regulating the immune response to immune-checkpoint blockade and advocate for combining ketogenic diets or AMPK agonists with anti-CTLA4 immunotherapy to combat cancer.

Indexed as

Immune Checkpoint InhibitorsAllograftsAMP-Activated Protein KinasesAnimalsAntibodies, NeutralizingAntineoplastic AgentsB7-H1 AntigenBiphenyl CompoundsBreast NeoplasmsCell Line, TumorColorectal NeoplasmsCTLA-4 AntigenDiet, KetogenicEnergy MetabolismEnhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 ProteinFemale4-hydroxy-3-(4-(2-hydroxyphenyl)phenyl)-6-oxo-7H-thieno(2,3-b)pyridine-5-carbonitrileAMP-Activated Protein KinasesAntibodies, NeutralizingAntineoplastic AgentsB7-H1 AntigenBiphenyl CompoundsCd274 protein, mouseCMTM4 protein, mouseCTLA-4 AntigenCtla4 protein, mouseEnhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 ProteinEzh2 protein, mouseImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsMARVEL Domain-Containing ProteinsPrkaa1 protein, mousePyronesThiophenesAMPKCMTM4CTLA-4energy stressEZH2glucoseimmune checkpointketogenic dietPD-L1phosphorylation

Identifiers

PMID33909988
PMCPMC8178223
OpenAlexW3158907042

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
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Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.