Relationship of the lung microbiome with PD-L1 expression and immunotherapy response in lung cancer

Abstract

Background Lung cancer is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. The human lung serves as a niche to a unique and dynamic bacterial community that is related to the development of multiple diseases. Here, we investigated the differences in the lung microbiomes of patients with lung cancer. Methods 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to evaluate the respiratory tract microbiome present in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid. Patients were stratified based on programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression levels and immunotherapy responses. Results In total, 84 patients were prospectively analyzed, of which 59 showed low (< 10%), and 25 showed high (≥ 10%) PD-L1 expression levels. The alpha and beta diversities did not significantly differ between the two groups. Veillonella dispar was dominant in the high-PD-L1 group; the population of Neisseria was significantly higher in the low-PD-L1 group than in the high-PD-L1 group. In the immunotherapy responder group, V. dispar was dominant, while Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria perflava were dominant in the non-responder group. Conclusion The abundances of Neisseria and V. dispar differed significantly in relation to PD-L1 expression levels and immunotherapy responses.

Correlation of gut microbiota and metabolic functions with the antibody response to the BBIBP-CorV vaccine

“…Previous studies have reported that C. aerofaciens augments the T cell response and improves anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy efficacy. 46 In addition, V. dispar is dominant in the PD-L1 immunotherapy responder group 47 and is associated with influenza-specific H1 and H3 IgA antibody responses. 48 Although we used machine learning classifiers to investigate the potential utility of gut microbial in predicting the ACE2-RBD inhibiting antibody response, a lack of an independent test cohort is a limitation, further cause-and-effect study is still needed to investigate the mechanism of how the microbiota modulates the BBIBP-CorV vaccine response.…”

Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid-Isolated Biomarkers for the Diagnostic and Prognostic Assessment of Lung Cancer

“…Furthermore, the microbiome plays a crucial role in cancer cells’ response to immunotherapy. For example, Jang et al analyzed the microbiome’s relationship with programmed death-ligand-1 (PD-L1) expression [ 81 ]. PD-L1 protein is typically involved in protecting non-cancerous/non-harmful cells from immune cells.…”

The Crosstalk Between Microbiome, Cancer Immunology, and Immunotherapeutics: Myth or Reality

“…Notably, Akkermansia was more enriched in squamous cell carcinoma in comparison to adenocarcinoma [56]. A recent study attempted to assess the microbiome profile using Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples in relation to PD-L1 expression in NSCLC patients (n = 84) [57]. While alpha and beta diversities did not differ significantly between high and low PD-L1 expression patients, the population of Neissseria was significantly higher in low PD-L1 expression patients [57].…”

“…A recent study attempted to assess the microbiome profile using Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples in relation to PD-L1 expression in NSCLC patients (n = 84) [57]. While alpha and beta diversities did not differ significantly between high and low PD-L1 expression patients, the population of Neissseria was significantly higher in low PD-L1 expression patients [57]. Chau et al reported on NSCLC patients responding to chemoimmunotherapy, in which Finegoldia was enriched in the nasal microbiome, yet buccal samples showed increased Megasphaera but reduced Actinobacillus in responders [58].…”