Abstract
Glioblastoma is a primary brain tumor with a dismal prognosis despite comprehensive therapeutic regimens. It is characterized by diffuse infiltration of the surrounding healthy brain tissue, well-adapted to hypoxic conditions and regarded as paradigmatic for tumor-associated immunosuppression. One of the major activating receptors of natural killer (NK) cells is NKG2D. It binds to at least 8 ligands (NKG2DL) which are induced after malignant transformation and cellular stress. Regulation of NKG2DL expression may be affected by endogenous RNA molecules known as microRNA (miRNA). Here, we aimed at characterizing the role of miRNA in the control of NKG2DL expression in glioma cells. We selected 6 miRNA that were described or predicted to target NKG2DL. Three of the miRNA candidates, miR-20a, miR-93 and miR-106b, were expressed in glioma cell lines and were also detected in glioblastoma tissue specimens. Silencing of these miRNA with locked nucleic acid (LNA) molecules resulted in an up-regulation of NKG2DL cell surface levels which translated into increased sensitivity to immune cell killing. This effect was reversed by neutralizing NKG2D antibodies, confirming that enhanced immune cell lysis upon miRNA silencing was mediated through the NKG2D system. We conclude that the expression of several miRNA may contribute to the immune escape of glioma cells at the level of the NKG2D system. Therapeutic targeting of miRNA that regulate NKG2DL levels may therefore represent a promising approach to allow for more potent immune responses against glioblastoma.
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