Roles of flotillins in tumors.

The identification and use of molecular biomarkers have greatly improved the diagnosis and treatment of malignant tumors. However, a much deeper understanding of oncogenic proteins is needed for the benefit to cancer patients. The lipid raft marker proteins, flotillin-1 and flotillin-2, were first found in goldfish retinal ganglion cells during axon regeneration.

[Activation of anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes by fusion of human dendritic cells and melanoma cells].

Objective: To determine the effect of activation of specific anti-tumor cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and the ability of cross-presentation in vitro by fusion of HLA-A2+ human dendritic cells (DCs) with HLA-A2- melanoma cells.

Methods: The HLA-A2+ human dendritic cells and HLA-A2- melanoma cells were fused by PEG and were cultivated in complete RPMI1640 media containing FCS (10%) and GM-CSF for 24-48 h, and then co-cultured fusion cells with Melan-A specific T cells. HLA-A2- melanoma cells were negative control,While T2 cells and DC+Pts were positive control.

Immunodominant CD4+ responses identified in a patient vaccinated with full-length NY-ESO-1 formulated with ISCOMATRIX adjuvant.

There is increasing evidence showing the involvement of CD4(+) T cells in initiating and maintaining antitumor immune responses. NY-ESO-1 is expressed by various tumors but not normal tissues except testis. We conducted a cancer clinical trial by using full-length NY-ESO-1 protein formulated with ISCOMATRIX adjuvant and injected into patients intramuscularly.