SEYED BEHRAD Behrad SEYED PIRAN

Dr. SEYED BEHRAD Behrad SEYED PIRAN

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

1Year (2026-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

View All Publications
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
GKGabor Konya
Gabor Konya
SAShammas Ali
Shammas Ali
SESzabó Erzsébet
Szabó Erzsébet
RTRobert Tupicza
Robert Tupicza
SPSEYED BEHRAD Behrad SEYED PIRAN
SEYED BEHRAD Behrad SEYED PIRAN
Gabor HalmosGabor Halmos
Gabor Halmos
Background: Programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) and its ligands, PD-L1 and PD-L2, constitute a central immune checkpoint pathway that regulates T-cell activity and tumor immune escape, while their relationship with STAT signaling remains incompletely understood in ccRCC. Methods: We analyzed 27 paired ccRCC and adjacent non-tumorous human kidney tissue samples. mRNA levels of PD-1, PD-L1, PD-L2, STAT1, and STAT3 were quantified by RT-qPCR. In addition, representative human ccRCC cell lines (CAKI-2 and A-498) were treated with IFN-γ to assess the time-dependent modulation of immune checkpoint molecules and STAT pathway activation. Results: PD-L1 and PD-L2 were significantly upregulated in tumor tissues compared with adjacent normal kidney tissue. Exploratory observation suggests grade dependent increase. Whereas PD-1 was predominantly downregulated, IFN-γ treatment induced a rapid transcriptional upregulation of PD-L1 and PD-L2 in RCC cell lines, with maximal protein accumulation observed at 72 h. STAT1, but not STAT3, exhibited dynamic induction following IFN-γ stimulation, showing temporal association with PD-L1 and PD-L2 upregulation, indicating cell-line-specific regulatory effects. Correlation analyses confirmed a strong correlation between PD-1 and its ligands, whereas STAT1 and STAT3 expression showed no direct association with PD-L1 or PD-L2 levels in cancer samples. Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that PD-L1 and PD-L2 are frequently upregulated in ccRCC and dynamically regulated by IFN-γ/STAT1-dependent signaling. Our results provide additional insight into the mechanisms of immune escape and underscore the potential of integrated profiling of PD-1 ligands and STAT signaling to guide personalized immunotherapeutic strategies in ccRCC.