PD-L1, a Master Regulator of Immunity 2.0

Dear Colleagues,

Programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1) is a co-inhibitory molecule that is expressed on immune cells and cancer cells. Through binding with its receptor, programmed death 1 (PD-1) on the T cell surface, regulates their activity. In that way, adaptive immune responses mediated by T cells against invading pathogens are strictly regulated, thereby avoiding collateral damage to the host. However, this regulatory circuit is dysregulated in several diseases as chronic infection, transplantation immunity, autoimmunity, and cancer to dampen immune responses prematurely. Blocking the PD-1:PD-L1 immune checkpoint axis has, therefore, garnered substantial interest especially in oncology. In cancer, PD-1:PD-L1 blockade has resulted in unprecedented successes in individual patients across a variety of cancer types. However, a large number of patients fail to respond to PD-1:PD-L1 blockade. Insights into different mechanisms underlying this therapy failure are gradually being gained. These insights highlight the complexity of the immune system regulatory interaction with cancer cells. Numerous studies have begun to shed light on how combination with other therapies could enhance the response rates to PD-1:PD-L1 blockade.

Dr. Grazyna Kochan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.