Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0033036 (APC)
 10,214 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Physiologically, Ag detection by T cells occurs at the immunological synapse (IS) formed at the interface with an APC. CD5 is considered as an inhibitory molecule for Ag receptor-mediated signals in T cells. However, the influence of CD5 at the IS on synapse formation and functioning has not yet been reported. We demonstrate here that CD5 is recruited and tightly colocalized with CD3 in different human and murine IS. Following transfection in a CD5-negative T cell line of CD5 fused to the green fluorescent protein, we show that CD5 recruitment includes a fast Ag-independent and a slower Ag-dependent component. In video-imaging recordings of doubly transfected cells, the movements of CD3 and CD5 show similar kinetics, and the amount of CD3 recruited to the synapse is unaffected by CD5 expression. Moreover, APC-T cell adhesion is unchanged in CD5-expressing cells. Despite this, the extent of tyrosine phosphorylation at the synapse and the amplitude of calcium responses induced by Ag recognition are both decreased by CD5. These inhibitions increase with CD5 membrane levels. They also requires the pseudo-immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif expressed in the cytoplasmic domain of the molecule. Thus, CD5 is rapidly recruited at the IS and lowers the T cell response elicited by Ag presentation by targeting downstream signaling events without affecting IS formation.
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PMID:CD5 inhibits signaling at the immunological synapse without impairing its formation. 1270 40

The recently discovered MLT/MALT1 gene is fused with the API2 gene in the t(11;18)(q21;q21), which characterizes about one-third of MALT lymphomas. In order to screen for variant translocations and amplifications of MLT/MALT1, we have developed a novel, undirected two-color interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) assay with two PAC clones flanking MLT/MALT1. This assay was applied to 108 marginal zone B-cell lymphomas (MZBCLs), including 72 extranodal MALT lymphomas, 17 nodal, and 19 splenic MZBCL. In 19 MALT lymphomas (26%), but in none of the nodal or splenic MZBCL, separated hybridization signals of the MLT/MALT1 flanking probes, were found. Further FISH analyses showed that 12 of these 19 cases displayed the classical t(11;18) and the remaining seven cases revealed the novel t(14;18)(q32;q21), involving the MLT/MALT1 and IGH genes. The frequency at which these translocations occurred varied significantly with the primary location of disease. The t(11;18) was mainly detected in gastrointestinal MALT lymphomas, whereas the t(14;18) occurred in MALT lymphomas of the parotid gland and the conjunctiva. Amplification of MLT/MALT1 was not observed in any of the lymphomas analyzed. We conclude that the translocations t(11;18)(q21;q21) and t(14;18)(q21;q32) represent the main structural aberrations involving MLT/MALT1 in MALT lymphomas, whereas true amplifications of MLT/MALT1 occur rarely in MZBCL.
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PMID:Translocations t(11;18)(q21;q21) and t(14;18)(q32;q21) are the main chromosomal abnormalities involving MLT/MALT1 in MALT lymphomas. 1293 Dec 13

CD43 is a large heavily glycosylated protein highly expressed on T cells and actively excluded from the immunological synapse through interactions with ezrin-radixin-moesin proteins. Due to its size and charge, it has been proposed that the CD43 ectodomain acts as a physical barrier to T cell-APC interactions. We have addressed this hypothesis by studying the effect of reconstituting CD43 mutants into the hyperproliferative CD43(-/-) T cells. Reintroduction of full-length CD43 reversed the CD43(-/-) T cell hyperproliferation. Interestingly, despite the lack of exclusion from the interaction site, a mutant containing the CD43 ectodomain on a glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkage was ineffective. Additionally, T cell-APC conjugate formation was not affected by this ectodomain-only construct. In contrast, CD43(-/-) T cell hyperproliferation was reversed by an intracellular-only CD43 fused to the small ectodomain of hCD16. Mutation of this intracellular-only CD43 such that it could not move from the T cell-APC contact site had no further affect on proliferation than the moveable CD43 but did dramatically reduce interleukin-2 production. Thus, the exclusion of the CD43 intracellular region from the immunological synapse is required for CD43 regulation of interleukin-2 production, but the presence of the cytoplasmic tail, independent of its location, is sufficient to reverse CD43(-/-) T cell hyperproliferation.
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PMID:CD43 regulation of T cell activation is not through steric inhibition of T cell-APC interactions but through an intracellular mechanism. 1511 76

Cyclin A (CycA), the only essential mitotic cyclin in Drosophila, is cytoplasmic during interphase and accumulates in the nucleus during prophase. We show that interphase localization is mediated by Leptomycin B (LMB)-sensitive nuclear export. This is a feature shared with human CyclinB1, and it is assumed that nuclear accumulation is necessary for mitotic entry. Here, we tested if the unique mitotic function of CycA requires nuclear accumulation. We fused subcellular localization signals to CycA and tested their mitotic capability. Surprisingly, nuclear accumulation was not required, and even a membrane-tethered form of CycA was able to induce mitosis. We noted that Cyclin B (CycB) protein disappears prematurely in CycA mutants, reminiscent of rca1 mutants. Rca1 is an inhibitor of Fizzy-related-APC/C activity, and in rca1 mutants, mitotic cyclins are degraded in G2 of the 16(th) embryonic cell cycle. Overexpression of Rca1 can restore mitosis in CycA mutants, indicating that the mitotic failure of CycA mutants is caused by premature activation of the APC/C. The essential mitotic function of CycA is therefore not the activation of numerous mitotic substrates by Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation. Rather, CycA-dependent kinase activity is required to inhibit one inhibitor of mitosis, the Fzr protein.
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PMID:Requirements of cyclin a for mitosis are independent of its subcellular localization. 1520 7

Assembly of DNA molecules by the addition of poly(aluminum chloride) (PAC) was studied. In the absence of PAC, electron microscopy indicated the formation of elongated coiled DNA molecules. In the presence of PAC, multiple doughnut-like structures, 8-15 nm thick, formed and fused together. When salt was added, the doughnut-like structures tended to be thinner and the morphology of the fused doughnuts became irregular. We obtained a view of a single DNA structure by fluorescent microscopy, which revealed that individual DNA molecules undergo a discrete transition from an elongated to compacted state with an increase in PAC concentration. Electron microscopic observation showed that a regular doughnut is the typical structure seen under low salt conditions. At high salt concentrations, the doughnut shape deformed, yielding results similar to those produced by the salt effect on DNA assembly at high DNA concentrations.
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PMID:Compaction and multiple chain assembly of DNA with the cationic polymer poly(aluminum chloride) (PAC). 1524 34

Activation of T cells by professional APCs that present peptide epitopes of tumor-associated Ags is critical for the induction of cell-mediated immunity against tumors. To facilitate targeted delivery of the ErbB2 (HER2, neu) tumor Ag to APCs in vivo, we have generated chimeric proteins that contain the extracellular domain of CTLA-4 for binding to B7 molecules on the APC surface, which is genetically fused to a human ErbB2 fragment as an antigenic determinant. Bacterially expressed CTLA-4-ErbB2 fusion protein and a similar molecule harboring in addition the translocation domain of Pseudomonas exotoxin A as an endosome escape function displayed specific binding to B7-expressing cells, followed by protein internalization and intracellular degradation. Vaccination of BALB/c mice with the fusion proteins resulted in the induction of ErbB2-specific CD8(+) T cells and CTL-dependent protection from subsequent challenge with ErbB2-expressing but not ErbB2-negative murine renal carcinoma cells. In a therapeutic setting, injection of CTLA-4-ErbB2 protein vaccines caused rejection of established ErbB2-expressing tumors. Thereby, immunological memory was induced, leading to long-term systemic immunity and protection against rechallenge several months later. Our results demonstrate that these chimeric protein vaccines are effective tools for the induction of ErbB2-specific, T cell-mediated immunity.
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PMID:Targeted delivery of the ErbB2/HER2 tumor antigen to professional APCs results in effective antitumor immunity. 1584 46

The kinase Aurora-B, a regulator of chromosome segregation and cytokinesis, is highly expressed in a variety of tumors. During the cell cycle, the level of this protein is tightly controlled, and its deregulated abundance is suspected to contribute to aneuploidy. Here, we provide evidence that Aurora-B is a short-lived protein degraded by the proteasome via the anaphase-promoting cyclosome complex (APC/c) pathway. Aurora-B interacts with the APC/c through the Cdc27 subunit, Aurora-B is ubiquitinated, and its level is increased upon treatment with inhibitors of the proteasome. Aurora-B binds in vivo to the degradation-targeting proteins Cdh1 and Cdc20, the overexpression of which accelerates Aurora-B degradation. Using deletions or point mutations of the five putative degradation signals in Aurora-B, we show that degradation of this protein does not depend on its D-boxes (RXXL), but it does require intact KEN boxes and A-boxes (QRVL) located within the first 65 amino acids. Cells transfected with wild-type or A-box-mutated or KEN box-mutated Aurora-B fused to green fluorescent protein display the protein localized to the chromosomes and then to the midzone during mitosis, but the mutated forms are detected at greater intensities. Hence, we identified the degradation pathway for Aurora-B as well as critical regions for its clearance. Intriguingly, overexpression of a stable form of Aurora-B alone induces aneuploidy and anchorage-independent growth.
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PMID:Mechanism of Aurora-B degradation and its dependency on intact KEN and A-boxes: identification of an aneuploidy-promoting property. 1592 16

We have previously reported that the CD4+ T lymphocyte response against nuclear human CMV IE1 protein depends in part on endogenous MHC class II presentation. To optimize presentation by HLA-DR of the nuclear IE1 protein and increase the response by CD4+ T cells, we have constructed two different adenovirus vectors containing mutant versions of IE1, containing a HLA-DR3 epitope, fused to GFP. The first construct consisted of a sequence of 46 aa encoded by exon 4, called GFP-IE1 (86-131). The second construct consisted of the whole IE1 mutated on exon 4 nuclear localization signals, identified in this study, and deleted of already known exon 2 nuclear localization signals (GFP-IE1M). Both of these IE1 vectors expressed proteins with cytoplasmic localization, as evidenced by GFP expression, as opposed to control GFP-IE1, which was nuclear. GFP-IE1 (86-131) induced IE1-specific CD4+ T cell clone response that was >30-fold more potent than that against GFP-IE1 and GFP-IE1M. The CD4+ T cell response was due to endogenous presentation followed by exogenous presentation at later time points. Presentation was dependent on both proteasome and acidic compartments. GFP-IE1 (86-131) was rapidly degraded by the APC, which may account for better presentation. Our data show potentiation of the CD4+ T cell response to a specific epitope through shortening and relocation of an otherwise nuclear protein and suggest applications in vaccination.
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PMID:Optimization of CD4+ T lymphocyte response to human cytomegalovirus nuclear IE1 protein through modifications of both size and cellular localization. 1627 38

Sipuleucel-T [APC 8015, Provenge] is an autologous, dendritic cell-based vaccine under development with Dendreon Corporation for the treatment of androgen-independent and androgen-dependent prostate cancer. It was generated using the company's active immunotherapy platform to stimulate a patient's own immune system to specifically target and destroy cancer cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. This approach could provide patients with a meaningful survival benefit and an improved tolerability profile over existing anticancer therapies. Sipuleucel-T selectively targets the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) known as prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) that is expressed in approximately 95% of prostate cancers. It is produced by ex vivo exposure of dendritic cell precursors to PA 2024, a recombinant fusion protein composed of the PAP target fused to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and incorporated into Dendreon's proprietary Antigen Delivery Cassette. Patients are typically administered three intravenous (IV)-infusions of the vaccine over a 1-month period as a complete course of therapy. It is undergoing late-stage clinical evaluation among patients with early and advanced prostate cancer. In November 2003, Kirin Brewery returned to Dendreon the full rights to Sipuleucel-T for Asia. In exchange, Dendreon licensed patent rights relating to the use of certain HLA-DR antibodies to Kirin for $US20 million. This amended agreement enables Dendreon to complete ongoing discussions for a worldwide marketing and sales partnership for Sipuleucel-T. Similarly, Kirin is able to develop its HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies free of potential infringement claims arising from Dendreon's patent rights to HLA-DR. The licensing agreement relates to patent rights owned by Dendreon relating to monoclonal antibodies against the HLA-DR antigen. In addition, Dendreon retains rights to develop and commercialise its two existing HLA-DR monoclonal antibodies, DN 1921 and DN 1924, as well as other HLA-DR antibodies not being developed by Kirin. Previously, in May 1999, Dendreon and Kirin established a collaboration for the development of dendritic cell-based immunotherapeutics for cancer, including Sipuleucel-T. Under the agreement, Kirin would provide financial support for Dendreon's research on dendritic cells focused on developing immunotherapies for cancers most prevalent in Asia. Dendreon would retain US rights to products arising from the collaboration while Kirin would hold the rights to such immuno-therapeutics in Asia and Oceania. In August 2005, Dendreon signed an agreement to lease a commercial manufacturing facility in Hanover, New Jersey, USA. The company intends to develop the facility to meet anticipated clinical and commercial demands of Sipuleucel-T as well as other active immunotherapy product candidates. Dendreon and Diosynth Biotechnology (Akzo Nobel) have an agreement for the commercial production of the PA 2024 antigen component of Sipuleucel-T. In November 2003, Dendreon announced that Diosynth successfully manufactured PA 2024 on a commercial scale. In October 2001, Dendreon announced that Gambro Healthcare Inc. would provide a network of centres for cell collection to support commercial production and clinical development of various Dendreon vaccines, including Sipuleucel-T. Dendreon has outsourced its cell processing operations in Mountain View, California, USA to Progenitor Cell Therapy under an amended agreement signed in August 2002. This agreement is an expansion of an existing agreement, under which Progenitor provided Dendreon with cell-processing services through its facility in Hackensack, New Jersey, USA. The pivotal, two-stage, phase III trial (D9902 study) has been initiated at clinical sites in the US. The first stage of the trial (D9902A study) is a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial designed to evaluate Sipuleucel-T in men with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. The trial was originally designed to be the companion study to a previously completed phase III trial, called D9901. However, the D9902A study with 98 patients recruited was halted in December 2002, when analysis of the D9901 study revealed no statistically significant benefit in time to disease progression in the overall group, although a benefit was seen in a subgroup of patients with Gleason scores of < or =7. In April 2002, the US FDA requested clarification regarding cellular composition of Sipuleucel-T and the suspension of additional patient enrollment for the D9902 study; the request was related solely to manufacturing issues without patient safety being an issue. Trial enrollment resumed in October 2002 following FDA authorisation. Dendreon amended the protocol for the D9902 study and is only recruiting patients with asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer, regardless of their Gleason Score (D9902B study). The ongoing pivotal phase III trial underwent a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) with the FDA in August 2003 and is enrolling approximately 500 patients. The primary endpoint is overall survival with time to objective disease progression being a secondary endpoint. Final 3-year survival analysis of the D9902A study has been completed and presented. Previously, Dendreon completed an earlier phase III trial (D9901 study) that assessed Sipuleucel-T among 127 patients with late-stage, metastatic, hormone-independent prostate cancer in the US. All subjects had undergone surgical resection of the prostate, but had rising levels of PSA. Final 3-year survival data have been reported. Dendreon also conducted a phase II trial, known as D9905, that investigated Sipuleucel-T monotherapy among patients with early-stage prostate cancer. Study findings have been reported. In September 2003, the FDA designated Sipuleucel-T as a fast-track development programme for the treatment of asymptomatic, metastatic, androgen-independent prostate cancer. Subsequently, the FDA granted fast-track status to the vaccine in November 2005. Dendreon announced in September 1999 that a phase I trial of Sipuleucel-T in patients with prostate cancer had commenced in Japan. This study was being conducted at a dendritic cell processing centre that was formed as part of Dendreon's collaboration with Kirin. In addition, the US NCI is conducting a phase II trial (P-16) of Sipuleucel-T in combination with bevacizumab among patients with hormone-dependent prostate cancer. Trial results have been announced. In April 2001, Dendreon was awarded a US patent (No. 6,210,662) covering the composition of Sipuleucel-T. Dendreon acquired an exclusive worldwide licence to dendritic cell therapy for cancers and other diseases from the Immune Response Corporation; Immune Response originally received the exclusive patent rights to the technology from the University of Brussels in Belgium.
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PMID:Sipuleucel-T: APC 8015, APC-8015, prostate cancer vaccine--Dendreon. 1675 45

DNA vaccination has become an attractive immunization strategy against cancer. However, a major problem of DNA vaccination is its limited potency to be taken up by the antigen-presenting cells. In contrast, loss of immunogenic epitopes of tumour cells has urged the development of vaccines against multiple epitopes. In this study, we developed a novel strategy for the APC to efficiently cross-present a fusion tumour antigen, which contains both MHC class I-restricted and class II-restricted T-cell epitopes from Her-2/neu and p53 in a cognate manner. The N-terminus of the fusion Her-2/neu, p53 protein was linked to the sequence encoding for human secondary lymphoid-tissue chemokine for secretion and chemokinesis, and the C-terminus of the fusion protein was linked to a cell-binding domain of IgG (Fc portion, the cell-binding domain of IgG) for receptor-mediated internalization. Here, we show that the introduction of fused-gene DNA vaccine by gene gun reduced the size of established tumours and prolonged the lifespan of tumour-bearing mice. Results show that this DNA vaccination strategy can broadly enhance the antigen-specific cellular and humoral immune responses. This vaccine is capable of inducing adaptive immunity and may provide a novel, generic design for the development of therapeutic and preventive DNA vaccines.
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PMID:Induction of protective and therapeutic antitumour immunity using a novel tumour-associated antigen-specific DNA vaccine. 1694 87


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