Description
Programmed death-1 ligand-1 (PD-L1, CD274, B7-H1) has been identified as the ligand for the immunoinhibitory receptor programmed death-1(PD1/PDCD1). PD-L1/B7-H1 is expressed by hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic cells, such as T cells and B cells and various types of tumor cells. PD-L1/B7-H1 is a member of the growing B7 family of immune molecules that has immunoglobulin V-like and C-like domains. Interaction of this ligand with its receptor inhibits T-cell activation and cytokine production. During infection or inflammation of normal tissue, this interaction is important for preventing autoimmunity by maintaining homeostasis of the immune response. In tumor microenvironments, this interaction provides an immune escape for tumor cells through cytotoxic T-cell inactivation. Expression of this gene in tumor cells is considered to be prognostic in many types of human malignancies, including colon cancer and renal cell carcinoma.