Mutant p53 achieved Gain-of-Function by promoting tumor growth and immune escape through PHLPP2/AKT/PD-L1 pathway

The most frequent genetic alterations of the TP53 gene in human cancer were reported. TP53 mutation gains new function as a target of genetic instability, which is associated with increased tumor progression and poor survival rate in patients. In this study, more than three hundred colorectal cancer patients' samples were firstly analyzed, and the results showed that patients with mutant p53 had higher levels of AKT phosphorylation and PD-L1 expression, which were next verified both in cell lines in vitro and patients' samples in vivo. Further studies demonstrated that the hotspot of mutant p53 directly binds to the promoter of PHLPP2 to inhibit its transcription, and resulting in down-regulating its protein expressional level. Subsequently, AKT was released and activated, promoting tumor proliferation and metastasis. In parallel, 4EBP1/eIF4E was identified as downstream executors of AKT to enhance the translational level of PD-L1, which decreased the activation of T cells. Besides, inhibiting AKT/mTOR pathway significantly suppressed PD-L1 expression, tumor growth, and immune escape in p53 mutated cells. In conclusion, mutant p53 achieved its Gain-of-Function by transcriptionally inhibiting PHLPP2 and activating AKT, which suppresses immune response and advances tumor growth. Thus, this study provides an excellent basis for a further understanding of the clinical treatment of neoplastic diseases for patients with mutant p53, with an emphasis on immunotherapy.