Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:Q86TM3 (cage)
 29,987 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The present study aimed to establish an efficient targeted nonviral strategy for IL-12 gene transfer in colon carcinoma in vivo employing transferrin (Tf)-lipoplexes. Complexes for in vitro experiments were prepared at a 5/1(+/ - ) (lipid/DNA) charge ratio, with the ligand Tf (32 (microg/(microg DNA). Complexes for in vivo experiments contained 144 mM of total lipid (DOTAP/Chol), 60 (microg of pCMVLuc or pCMVIL-12 and 32 (microg of Tf-lipoplexes per microgram of plasmid. For intratumoral studies, CT26 (5 x 105 cells) in 50 microl of PBS were inoculated subcutaneously into the back of the mouse. Treatments began when tumor sizes reached 5-6 mm in diameter. Complexes were injected by a single intratumoral injection in a volume of 50 microl. Our in vitro results indicate that Tf-lipoplexes always mediate higher gene expression in colon (CT26) tumor cells, compared to plain-lipoplexes (without ligand) or naked plasmid. At the same time, CT26 tumor-bearing animals treated with Tf-lipoplexes containing the therapeutic gene IL-12, showed tumor growth inhibition, leading to a complete tumor regression in 75% of the treated mice (p < 0.001), without signs of recurrence. High levels of IL-12 and IFN-gamma were detected in the sera of treated mice. Mice survival also improved considerably by treatment with this system, with a survival rate of 88%, at 23 days post-administration. In summary, in this study we have developed an efficient, targeted cationic lipid-based system for the treatment of colon tumors. The vector has the advantages of ease of preparation and economy, in comparison with commercial transfection reagents, as well as, the possibility of a large scale production.
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PMID:Antitumoral activity of transferrin-lipoplexes carrying the IL-12 gene in the treatment of colon cancer. 1705 Jan 19

Human sodium iodide symporter (hNIS) is a transmembrane protein that actively transports iodide ions into thyroid cells. hNIS is over-expressed in some cases of the thyroid cancers compared with the surrounding normal tissues and has been considered to be an attractive target for immunotherapy. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of utilizing the hNIS antigenic protein in enhanced-antigen-associated immunotherapy using image analysis with a gamma counter. To accomplish this, minimalistic immunogenically defined gene expression (MIDGE), either plain or coupled to a nuclear localization signal (NLS) peptide, was used as a vector system. Vaccination with MIDGE/hNIS, MIDGE/hNIS-NLS and pcDNA3.1/hNIS produced a significant increase in the number of hNIS-associated IFN-gamma-secreting CD8(+) T cells, with MIDGE/hNIS having the strongest effect. In addition, immunization with the hNIS encoding vectors induced antigen-mediated antitumor activity against NIS-expressing CT26 tumors in vivo, with the highest tumor free rate (100%) and lowest tumor growth being observed up to 40 days after the CT26/NIS tumor challenge with MIDGE/hNIS than those resulting from other immunization groups. Tumor progression could be followed noninvasively and repetitively by monitoring levels of hNIS gene expression in the tumors using scintigraphic image analysis. Overall, hNIS has a potential use as an antigen for immunization approaches, and vaccination with MIDGE/hNIS vectors is an effective means of generating hNIS-associated immune responses in mice.
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PMID:MIDGE/hNIS vaccination generates antigen-associated CD8+IFN-gamma+ T cells and enhances protective antitumor immunity. 1726 27

Naturally occurring strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) have shown oncolytic therapeutic efficacy in preclinical studies and are currently in clinical trials. Here, we have evaluated the possibility to enhance the cancer therapeutic potential of NDV by means of reverse genetics. Mice bearing s.c. implanted CT26 tumors were treated with intratumoral (i.t.) injections of a recombinant NDV modified to contain a highly fusogenic F protein. These treated mice exhibited significant reduction in tumor development compared with mice treated with the unmodified virus. Furthermore, mice in a CT26 metastatic tumor model treated with an i.v. injection of the genetically engineered NDV exhibited prolonged survival compared with wild-type control virus. In addition, we examined whether the oncolytic properties of NDV could be improved by expression of immunostimulatory molecules. In this regard, we engineered several NDVs to express granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IFN-gamma, interleukin 2 (IL-2), or tumor necrosis factor alpha, and evaluated their therapeutic potential in an immunocompetent colon carcinoma tumor model. Mice bearing s.c. CT26 tumors treated with i.t. injections of recombinant NDV expressing IL-2 showed dramatic reductions in tumor growth, with a majority of the mice undergoing complete and long-lasting remission. Our data show the use of reverse genetics to develop enhanced recombinant NDV vectors as effective therapeutic agents for cancer treatment.
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PMID:Use of reverse genetics to enhance the oncolytic properties of Newcastle disease virus. 1780 43

Glucocorticoid-induced TNF receptor family related protein (GITR) is a member of the TNFR superfamily. Previous studies have shown that in vivo administration of a GITR agonistic Ab (DTA-1) is able to overcome tolerance and induce tumor rejection in several murine syngeneic tumor models. However, little is known about the in vivo targets and the mechanisms of how this tolerance is overcome in a tumor-bearing host, nor is much known about how the immune network is regulated to achieve this antitumor response. In this study, we demonstrate that the in vivo ligation of GITR on CD4(+) effector T cells renders them refractory to suppression by regulatory T (T(reg)) cells in the CT26 tumor-bearing mouse. GITR engagement on T(reg) cells does not appear to directly abrogate their suppressive function; rather, it increases the expansion of T(reg) cells and promotes IL-10 production, a cytokine important for their suppressive function. Moreover, CD4(+) effector T cells play a crucial role in mediating DTA-1-induced immune activation and expansion of CD8(+), NK, and B cells in the tumor-draining lymph nodes. This includes increased CD69 expression on all of these subsets. In addition, NK and tumor-specific CD8(+) T cells are generated that are cytolytic, which show increased intracellular IFN-gamma production and CD107a mobilization, the latter a hallmark of cytolytic activities that lead to tumor killing.
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PMID:Pivotal roles of CD4+ effector T cells in mediating agonistic anti-GITR mAb-induced-immune activation and tumor immunity in CT26 tumors. 1802 80

To determine ancestral allele in possible cancer-associated polymorphisms, DNA samples from 10 chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) were sequenced for alleles corresponding to 17 polymorphisms: 8 short tandem repeats [IL1RN (alias IL-1RA) variable number tandem repeat (VNTR); TYMS (previously TS) VNTR; AR CAG repeat; dinucleotide repeats of UGT1A1, IGF1, IFNG (alias IFN-gamma), ESR1 (alias ER-alpha), and EGFR] and 9 single nucleotide polymorphisms (MMP1-1607 1G/2G, MMP3-1171 5A/6A, OGG1 Ser326Cys, ALDH2 Gly487Lys, TP53 Arg72Pro, ABCG2 Gln141Lys, MGMT Leu84Phe, SOD2 Ala-9Val, and MTHFR Ala222Val). No chimpanzee polymorphism corresponded to human IL1RN VNTR; the ancestral allele was a repeat lost in humans. Dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms of IGF1, IFNG, ESR1, and EGFR were shared by chimpanzees, but the length of repeats tended to be longer in humans than in chimpanzees. This tendency was particularly evident for IGF1. All of the SNPs tested are human-specific nucleotide changes. The ancestral allele 7A was shown to be lost in MMP3-1171 5A/6A. Thus, all of the possible cancer-associated polymorphisms tested have human-specific alleles, and the ancestral allele is lost in three polymorphisms (IL1RN VNTR, UGT1A1 CA repeat, and MMP3-1171 5A/6A), suggesting a possible involvement of human-specific alleles in cancer susceptibility.
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PMID:Determination of ancestral allele for possible human cancer-associated polymorphisms. 1806 29

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a male-predominant cancer associated with chronic hepatitis. Like human viral hepatitis, murine Helicobacter hepaticus infection produces inflammation and HCC with a masculine bias. We used this model to identify potential mechanisms of male HCC predisposition. Male weanling A/JCr mice (n = 67) were gavaged with H. hepaticus or vehicle. At 1 year, mice were distributed into four groups: surgical castration, chemical castration, castration followed by dihydrotestosterone supplementation, or sexually intact controls. Responses to infection were compared with IFN-gamma challenge alone. At 21 months, there was no significant difference in hepatitis between groups. Neither castration nor androgen receptor agonism altered tumor incidence. Infected mice with severe, but not mild, disease exhibited a mosaic of alterations to sexually dimorphic genes and microsomal long-chain fatty acids. By microarray, tumorigenic hepatitis was strongly associated with liver-gender disruption, defined as the loss of a gender-identifying hepatic molecular signature. IFN-gamma alone produced similar changes, demonstrating a role for proinflammatory cytokines in this process. In conclusion, hepatocarcinogenesis in male mice with chronic hepatitis is maturationally imprinted and androgen-independent. Proinflammatory cytokines may promote HCC in a male-predominant fashion due to high sensitivity of the masculinized liver to loss of sex-specific transcriptional balance. Liver-gender disruption has pleiotropic implications for hepatic enzyme activity, lipid processing, nuclear receptor activation, apoptosis, and proliferation. We propose a multistep model linking chronic hepatitis to liver cancer through cytokine-mediated derangement of gender-specific cellular metabolism. This model introduces a novel mechanism of inflammation-associated carcinogenesis consistent with male-predominant HCC risk.
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PMID:Hepatocellular carcinoma associated with liver-gender disruption in male mice. 1808 82

We examined the merits of combinatorial hMUC1 vaccination and hNIS radioiodine gene therapy and evaluated its tumoricidal effects in an animal tumor model. CMNF (CT26 expressing hMUC1, hNIS, and firefly luciferase) cells were transplanted into 28 mice, and 4 and 11 days after tumor challenge, tumor-bearing mice were immunized i.m. with pcDNA3.1 or pcDNA-hMUC1 vaccine and subsequently administered PBS or (131)I i.p. [four groups (7 mice per group): pcDNA3.1 + PBS, phMUC1 + PBS, pcDNA3.1 + (131)I, and phMUC1 + (131)I groups]. Thirty-two days after tumor challenge, we rechallenged mice in the pcDNA3.1 + (131)I and phMUC1 + (131)I groups with CMNF cells. Tumor progression and tumor-free mice (%) were monitored by bioluminescence. We investigated hMUC1-associated immune response generated by combination therapy. Marked tumor growth inhibition was observed in the phMUC1 + (131)I group by bioluminescence at 32 days after tumor challenge. Mice in phMUC1 + (131)I group showed complete hMUC1-expressing tumor suppression after tumor rechallenge, whereas mice in the pcDNA3.1 + (131)I group did not. The tumor-free mice (%) were much higher in the phMUC1 + (131)I group than in the other three groups. Levels of hMUC1-associated CD8(+)IFN-gamma(+) T cells were higher in the phMUC1 + (131)I group than in the other three groups. hMUC1-loaded CD11(+) cells in the phMUC1 + (131)I group were found to be most effective at generating hMUC1-associated CD8(+)IFN-gamma(+) T cells. The activities of hMUC1-associated cytotoxic T cells in the phMUC1 + (131)I group were higher than in the other three groups. Our data suggest that phMUC1 + (131)I combination therapy synergistically generates marked tumoricidal effects against established hMUC1-expressing cancers.
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PMID:Synergistic tumoricidal effect of combined hMUC1 vaccination and hNIS radioiodine gene therapy. 1864 34

We examined the effects of in vivo exposure to a GSM-modulated 900 MHz RF field on the ability of bone marrow cells to differentiate, colonize lymphatic organs, and rescue lethally X-irradiated mice from death. X-irradiated mice were injected with medium alone or containing bone marrow cells from either RF-field-exposed (SAR 2 W/kg, 2 h/day, 5 days/ week, 4 weeks) or sham-exposed or cage control donor mice. Whereas all mice injected with medium alone died, mice that received bone marrow cells survived. Three and 6 weeks after bone marrow cell transplantation, no differences in thymus cellularity and in the frequencies of differentiating cell subpopulations (identified by CD4/CD8 expression) were observed among the three transplanted groups. Mitogen-induced thymocyte proliferation yielded comparable levels in all transplanted groups. As to the spleen, no effects of the RF-field exposure on cell number, percentages of B and T (CD4 and CD8) cells, B- and T-cell proliferation, and IFN-gamma production were found in transplanted mice. In conclusion, our results show no effect of in vivo exposure to GSM-modulated RF fields on the ability of bone marrow precursor cells to home and colonize lymphoid organs and differentiate in phenotypically and functionally mature T and B lymphocytes.
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PMID:Effects of GSM-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields on mouse bone marrow cells. 1913 32

Immune dysfunction develops in patients with many cancer types and may contribute to tumor progression and failure of immunotherapy. Mechanisms underlying cancer-associated immune dysfunction are not fully understood. Efficient IFN signaling is critical to lymphocyte function; animals rendered deficient in IFN signaling develop cancer at higher rates. We hypothesized that altered IFN signaling may be a key mechanism of immune dysfunction common to cancer. To address this, we assessed the functional responses to IFN in peripheral blood lymphocytes from patients with 3 major cancers: breast cancer, melanoma, and gastrointestinal cancer. Type-I IFN (IFN-alpha)-induced signaling was reduced in T cells and B cells from all 3 cancer-patient groups compared to healthy controls. Type-II IFN (IFN-gamma)-induced signaling was reduced in B cells from all 3 cancer patient groups, but not in T cells or natural killer cells. Impaired-IFN signaling was equally evident in stage II, III, and IV breast cancer patients, and downstream functional defects in T cell activation were identified. Taken together, these findings indicate that defects in lymphocyte IFN signaling arise in patients with breast cancer, melanoma, and gastrointestinal cancer, and these defects may represent a common cancer-associated mechanism of immune dysfunction.
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PMID:Impaired interferon signaling is a common immune defect in human cancer. 1945 44

Recent research has indicated that MUC4 plays an important role in the development of many tumors and may prove useful as a novel cancer immunotherapy target. We aimed to identify HLA-A*0201-restrictive cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) epitopes of the cancer-associated antigen MUC4. The MUC4 sequence was scanned for immunogenic peptides using HLA-binding prediction software. Dendritic cells (DCs) from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were induced by cytokines. Five possible CTL epitopes were selected by software analysis, synthesized, and used to pulse mature DCs. The CD8(+) T cells from PBMCs from an HLA-A*0201 healthy donor were stimulated with autologous MUC4-peptide-loaded DCs and expanded in vitro. T cell activation was assessed by ELISPOT, and cytotoxicity was determined by (51)chromium ((51)Cr)-release assays. Our results show that CTLs induced by peptide P01204 could lyse T2 cells pulsed with peptide P01204 and HCT-116 cells (MUC4(+), HLA-A2(+)). Compared with a control peptide, P01204 increased the number of IFN-gamma producing T cells. Overall, these results suggest that P01204 is a novel HLA-A*0201-restrictive CTL epitope of the cancer-associated antigen MUC4. This will provide a foundation for the development of tumor-specific peptide vaccines.
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PMID:Identification of an HLA-A*0201-restrictive CTL epitope from MUC4 for applicable vaccine therapy. 2295 48


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