TERC suppresses PD-L1 expression by downregulating RNA binding protein HuR

TERC is the RNA component of telomerase,and provides a template for TERT to synthesize telomere repeats at chromosome ends.Increasing evidence has revealed that TERC is involved in other biological processes beyond telomerase.Here,we found that the expression level of TERC is negatively correlated with PD-L1 and that ectopic expression of TERC but not TERT in ALT cells significantly inhibits PD-L1,suggesting that TERC suppresses PD-L1 expression in a telomerase-independent manner.Mechanistically,instead of regulating PD-L1 m RNA directly,TERC accelerates PD-L1 m RNA degradation by inhibiting the expression of Hu R,which binds to the 3′UTR of PD-L1 m RNA and maintains its stability.We also found that the small molecule AS1842856,a Fox O1 inhibitor,promotes TERC expression and reverses the PD-L1 upregulation caused by chemotherapy,providing a potential combination cancer therapy that avoids cancer immune escape during chemotherapy.