Enhancing the sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma to immune therapeutic agents through SPRED1.

Abstract

Background: Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1), a classic immune checkpoint, is a key target for immunotherapy. Research has demonstrated that Sprouty-related EVH1 domain-containing 1 (SPRED1), a negative regulator of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, modulates PD-L1 expression and exhibits antitumor activity in diverse cancers. This study aimed to investigate the role and mechanisms of SPRED1 in enhancing the sensitivity of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) to immunotherapy and develop novel clinical therapeutic sensitization strategies.

Methods: In this study, bioinformatics technologies were employed to examine the interaction between SPRED1 and the survival prognosis of patients with LUAD and to identify key interacting molecules of SPRED1. The expression levels of SPRED1 in LUAD tissues were measured by tissue staining, Western blotting, and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to confirm the correlation between SPRED1 and the prognosis of patients with LUAD. Moreover, Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), colony formation, wound healing, and Transwell assays were conducted to investigate the effects of SPRED1 on LUAD cell function and immunotherapy.

Results: Bioinformatics analyses revealed that SPRED1 had a low expression in patients with LUAD and was associated with poor prognosis (P<0.05), suggesting its prominent role in LUAD. Tissue staining, Western blotting, and qRT-PCR demonstrated that SPRED1 was downregulated in LUAD tissues, and its low expression was significantly correlated with poor N stage and advanced pathological stage (P<0.05). Transwell, wound healing, and colony formation assays indicated that SPRED1 suppressed LUAD cell migration and proliferation. Furthermore, the CCK-8 assay confirmed that SPRED1 increases immunotherapeutic sensitivity.

Conclusions: SPRED1 is downregulated in patients with LUAD and is an independent prognostic factor. SPRED1 enhances PD-L1 expression, thereby mediating its role in enhancing immunotherapeutic sensitivity in LUAD.