To establish the autocrine HMGB1/RAGE/NF-κB pathway as the causal link between Nano-DOX treatment and PD-L1 induction in the NSCLC cells, the A549 cells were treated with Nano-DOX or HMGB1 while one component of the pathway (i.e. HMGB1, RAGE, or NF-κB) was pharmacologically blocked, before total protein level and cell surface abundance of PD-L1 were examined. This evidence concerns the gene CD274 and non-small cell lung carcinoma.