Anti-programmed cell death-1 (PD-1)/programmed cell death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibodies are currently used in the clinic to interupt the PD-1/PD-L1 immune checkpoint, which reverses T cell dysfunction/exhaustion and shows success in treating cancer. Here, we report a histone demethylase inhibitor, 5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (IOX1), which inhibits tumour histone demethylase Jumonji domain-containing 1A (JMJD1A) and thus downregulates its downstream β-catenin and subsequent PD-L1, providing an antibody-independent paradigm interrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint. Synergistically, IOX1 inhibits cancer cells’ P-glycoproteins (P-gp) through the JMJD1A/β-catenin/P-gp pathway and greatly enhances doxorubicin (DOX)-induced immune-stimulatory immunogenic cell death. As a result, the IOX1 and DOX combination greatly promotes T cell infiltration and activity and significantly reduces tumour burdens.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-22407-6