MEK inhibitors enhance therapeutic response towards ATRA in NF1 associated malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST) in-vitro.

Objective: Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a hereditary tumor syndrome characterized by an increased risk of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNST). Chemotherapy of MPNST is still insufficient. In this study, we investigated whether human tumor Schwann cells derived from NF1 associated MPNST respond to all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA).

In silico subtraction approach reveals a close lineage relationship between follicular dendritic cells and BP3(hi) stromal cells isolated from SCID mice.

Organization of the stromal compartments in secondary lymphoid tissue is a prerequisite for an efficient immune reaction. In particular, follicular dendritic cells (FDC) are pivotal for the activation and differentiation of B cells. To investigate the development of FDC, FDC together with tightly associated B cells (FDC networks) were micro-dissected from frozen tissue sections and follicular B cells were sorted by FACS.