[Research progress of gammadelta T cell-based immunotherapy].

GammadeltaT cells are considered as linkage between innate and adaptive immune response, which recognize specific antigen without MHC-restriction. Vgamma9Vdelta2T cells, isolated from peripheral blood and tumor tissue, can be activated by non-peptide phosphoantigen through binding to its gammadeltaTCR and proliferate under IL-2 stimulation. It has been shown that Vgamma9Vdelta2T cells possess anticancer activity against several types of tumor in vitro, as well as inhibit the growth of lymphoma, breast cancer and malignant melanoma in vivo. The phase I clinical trial of the application of Vgamma9Vdelta2T cells in treatment of lung cancer, renal cancer and prostate cancer demonstrated promising results. This review summarizes the recent advances in antigen recognition and activation of gammadeltaT cells, and the gammadeltaT cell-based immunotherapy for cancer treatment.

Mining novel biomarkers for prognosis of gastric cancer with serum proteomics.

BACKGROUND: Although gastric cancer (GC) remains the second cause of cancer-related death, useful biomarkers for prognosis are still unavailable. We present here the attempt of mining novel biomarkers for GC prognosis by using serum proteomics. METHODS: Sera from 43 GC patients and 41 controls with gastritis as Group 1 and 11 GC patients as Group 2 was successively detected by Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (SELDI-TOF-MS) with Q10 chip. Peaks were acquired by Ciphergen ProteinChip Software 3.2.0 and analyzed by Zhejiang University-ProteinChip Data Analysis System (ZJU-PDAS). CEA level were evaluated by chemiluminescence immunoassay. RESULTS: After median follow-up periods of 33 months, Group 1 with 4 GC patients lost was divided into 20 good-prognosis GC patients (overall survival more than 24 months) and 19 poor-prognosis GC patients (no more than 24 months). The established prognosis pattern consisted of 5 novel prognosis biomarkers with 84.2% sensitivity and 85.0% specificity, which were significantly higher than those of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and TNM stage. We also tested prognosis pattern blindly in Group 2 with 66.7% sensitivity and 80.0% specificity. Moreover, we found that 4474-Da peak elevated significantly in GC and was associated with advanced stage (III+IV) and short survival (p < 0.03). CONCLUSION: We have identified a number of novel biomarkers for prognosis prediction of GC by using SELDI-TOF-MS combined with sophisticated bioinformatics. Particularly, elevated expression of 4474-Da peak showed very promising to be developed into a novel biomarker associated with biologically aggressive features of GC.

[Study on inhibitory effect of matrine on cyclooxygenase-2 expression in colon cancer HT-29 cell line].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the effect of matrine on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression in colon cancer HT-29 cell line at the level of gene and protein. METHODS: Levels of mRNA and protein expression of COX-2, and its synthesized product prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) of colon cancer HT-29 cell line were detected by RT-PCR, Western-blot, ELISA respectively before and after treatment of matrine in different concentrations. RESULTS: Matrine had inhibitory effect on the mRNA and protein expression of COX-2, and synthesis of PGE2 in colon cancer HT-29 cell line, but had no effect on COX-1. When HT-29 cell line was treated with 2.0 mg/ml of matrine, the inhibitory rate on COX-2 mRNA expression were 100% at 6 hrs and 9 hrs after treatment; the inhibitory rate on PGE2 synthesis was 63.8 % at 9 hrs after treatment; and that on COX-2 protein expression was 48% and 100% 12 hrs and 24 hrs after treatment, respectively. CONCLUSION: Matrine has selective inhibitory effect on gene transcription, protein expression and functional activity of COX-2 in HT-29 cell line, which is time-dependent and concentration-dependent within certain range of concentration and acting time.