Wang Weihao, Zhao Rui, Wang Yahui, Pan Liying, Luan Fang, Fu Guobin
Department of Oncology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
The Second Clinical Medical College, Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China.
Front Immunol. 2025 Jun 19;16:1602752. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2025.1602752. eCollection 2025.
PLK1 plays a crucial role in cell cycle regulation and cancer development, and its dysregulation has been implicated in the prognosis of a variety of malignancies. The potential of PLK1 inhibitors as cancer therapeutics has been extensively investigated. However, the underlying biology and mechanisms of PLK1 remain incompletely understood. In recent years, numerous studies have demonstrated that PLK1 overexpression is associated with resistance to certain chemotherapeutic agents, while its inhibition can enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy. In addition, PLK1 inhibitors have been shown to selectively target cancer cells as radiation sensitizers and exert synergistic effects in combination immunotherapy. The underlying mechanisms may involve the regulation of multiple immune cells and inflammatory factors, as well as alterations in the tumor microenvironment, ultimately influencing tumor genesis, migration, and invasion. Moreover, PLK1 can regulate the expression of immune checkpoint-related proteins, thereby playing a synergistic role in cancer therapy. Furthermore, PLK1 represents a promising target antigen for cancer immunotherapy, with potential applications in optimizing cancer vaccines. Therefore, this review focuses on the applications and underlying mechanisms of PLK1 in tumor immunotherapy, aiming to provide new insights for improving patient outcomes and prognosis.
PLK1在细胞周期调控和癌症发展中起着关键作用，其失调与多种恶性肿瘤的预后有关。PLK1抑制剂作为癌症治疗药物的潜力已得到广泛研究。然而，PLK1的潜在生物学特性和作用机制仍未完全明确。近年来，大量研究表明，PLK1过表达与对某些化疗药物的耐药性相关，而抑制PLK1可增强化疗疗效。此外，PLK1抑制剂已被证明可作为放射增敏剂选择性地靶向癌细胞，并在联合免疫治疗中发挥协同作用。其潜在机制可能涉及多种免疫细胞和炎症因子的调节，以及肿瘤微环境的改变，最终影响肿瘤的发生、迁移和侵袭。此外，PLK1可调节免疫检查点相关蛋白的表达，从而在癌症治疗中发挥协同作用。此外，PLK1是癌症免疫治疗中一个有前景的靶抗原，在优化癌症疫苗方面具有潜在应用价值。因此，本综述聚焦于PLK1在肿瘤免疫治疗中的应用及潜在机制，旨在为改善患者结局和预后提供新的见解。
