# VISTA

Source: https://onco.cc/targets/vista/  
OnCo record `vista` (Target). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

An immune checkpoint on myeloid cells that works at the acidic pH inside tumours and is a suspected escape route after PD-1 therapy; antibodies are in early trials.

## Summary

VISTA (VSIR, PD-1H) is expressed mainly on myeloid cells and naive T cells, binds PSGL-1 selectively at acidic pH (tumour microenvironment) and VSIG3, and suppresses T-cell activation. It is upregulated after anti-CTLA-4 in prostate cancer and after chemotherapy in some tumours, suggesting adaptive resistance. Anti-VISTA antibodies (CI-8993, SNS-101 which binds only at low pH, HMBD-002, KVA12123) are in phase 1/2; the first agent (JNJ-61610588) was halted for cytokine release. No efficacy has yet been shown.

## Fields

- Kind: Target
- Last checked: 2026-09-08
- Tags: gap-fill
- Symbol: VSIR
- Class: checkpoint
- Biology: B7-family Ig-superfamily member acting as both ligand and receptor; histidine-rich extracellular domain makes PSGL-1 binding pH-dependent; expressed at high density on neutrophils, monocytes and MDSCs.
- Where found: Myeloid infiltrates in prostate, pancreatic, lung, colorectal and ovarian cancers; Mesothelioma (tumour-cell expression); AML blasts

## Notes

- In prostate, pancreatic and lung cancer VISTA is carried mainly by myeloid infiltrates rather than tumour cells, so a tumour-cell prevalence is not well characterised.

## Sources

- pH-selective VISTA (Nature 2019): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-019-1674-5

## Connected records

- targets: [CTLA-4](https://onco.cc/targets/ctla4/), [LAG-3](https://onco.cc/targets/lag3/), [PD-1](https://onco.cc/targets/pd1/), [TIM-3](https://onco.cc/targets/tim3/)
- cancers: [Mesothelioma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mesothelioma/), [Non-small-cell lung cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/nsclc/), [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/), [Prostate cancer](https://onco.cc/cancers/prostate/)
- technologies: [Immune checkpoint inhibitors](https://onco.cc/technologies/checkpoint-inhibitor/)
- pathways: [Myeloid suppression: TAMs, MDSCs & don't-eat-me signals](https://onco.cc/pathways/myeloid-suppression-axis/), [PD-1 / PD-L1 immune checkpoint & T-cell activation](https://onco.cc/pathways/pd1-checkpoint/)
- key papers: [VISTA is an acidic pH-selective ligand for PSGL-1](https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-johnston-nature/)
- terms: [Checkpoint (two meanings)](https://onco.cc/terms/checkpoint/)

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JSON: https://onco.cc/api/v1/entities/vista.json