ABSTRACT
In women with ovarian cancer, suppression of components of the immune system may promote tumour development. Previous studies in ovarian cancer have demonstrated that decreased expression and function of the T-cell receptor (TcR)-associated signal transducing zeta-chain correlates with deficient immune responsiveness of T cells. In this study, sera and ascitic fluids obtained from woman with advanced ovarian cancer were found to suppress the expression of TcR-associated zeta chain. This suppression of zeta chain expression was dose-dependent and was not observed with biologic fluids obtained from healthy women. The factor responsible for the loss of zeta chain was purified from ascites and characterized as a protein with an appropriate molecular weight of 14 kD. Suppression of T-cell TcR-zeta was specific, since neither lck nor ZAP-70 expression was affected, while zeta chain was almost completely suppressed. This selective suppression of TcR-zeta expression by the 14 kD ascites-derived factor was shown to operate at the mRNA level. By defining the mechanism through which this protein modulates TcR-zeta chain levels, it might be possible to ultimately prevent the suppressive influences of the tumour microenvironment and restor immune competence in patients with ovarian carcinoma.
Subject(s)
Carcinoma/pathology , Immunosuppression Therapy , Membrane Proteins/biosynthesis , Ovarian Neoplasms/pathology , Receptor-CD3 Complex, Antigen, T-Cell/biosynthesis , Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell/biosynthesis , Adult , Ascites , Blotting, Western , Carcinoma/genetics , Case-Control Studies , Female , Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic , Humans , Immunocompetence , Ovarian Neoplasms/genetics , Proteins/chemistry , Proteins/isolation & purification , Proteins/pharmacologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Although cervicovaginal Candida infections occur in 20-25% of pregnancies, the incidence of ascending infection in these cases is only 0.8%, and such infection rarely causes chorioamnionitis. CASE: Sudden intrauterine fetal demise (IUFD) of twin A occurred in a diabetic primigravida presenting with a twin pregnancy and preterm labor at 33 weeks of gestation. Placental pathology and autopsy of the stillborn twin revealed extensive chorioamnionitis and fetal sepsis in the presence of Candida albicans. Twin B was unaffected. CONCLUSION: In this case, C albicans chorioamnionitis seemed to be associated with sudden IUFD.
