Noncanonical NF-κB Activation Mediates STAT3-Stimulated IDO Upregulation in Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells in Breast Cancer

Abstract Immunotherapy for cancer treatment is achieved through the activation of competent immune effector cells and the inhibition of immunosuppressive cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). Although MDSCs have been shown to contribute to breast cancer development, the mechanism underlying MDSC-mediated immunosuppression is unclear. We have identified a poorly differentiated MDSC subset in breast cancer–suppressing T cell function through STAT3-dependent IDO upregulation. In this study we investigated the mechanisms underlying aberrant expression of IDO in MDSCs. MDSCs were induced by coculturing human CD33+ myeloid progenitors with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells. Increased STAT3 activation in MDSCs was correlated with activation of the noncanonical NF-κB pathway, including increased NF-κB–inducing kinase (NIK) protein level, phosphorylation of cytoplasmic inhibitor of NF-κB kinase α and p100, and RelB-p52 nuclear translocation. Blocking STAT3 activation with the small molecule inhibitor JSI-124 significantly inhibited the accumulation of NIK and IDO expression in MDSCs. Knockdown of NIK in MDSCs suppressed IDO expression but not STAT3 activation. RelB-p52 dimers were found to directly bind to the IDO promoter, leading to IDO expression in MDSCs. IL-6 was found to stimulate STAT3-dependent, NF-κB–mediated IDO upregulation in MDSCs. Furthermore, significant positive correlation between the numbers of pSTAT3+ MDSCs, IDO+ MDSCs, and NIK+ MDSCs was observed in human breast cancers. These results demonstrate a STAT3/NF-κB/IDO pathway in breast cancer–derived MDSCs, which provides insight into understanding immunosuppressive mechanisms of MDSCs in breast cancer.