Conjugation to octa-arginine via disulfide bonds confers solubility to denatured proteins in physiological solution and enables efficient cell internalization.

Some protein transduction methods have already been developed for regenerative medicine application. These methods can be applied to soluble proteins but not to insoluble proteins, such as those that originate from inclusion bodies, for example, Escherichia coli. We have developed a method that allows the in vitro solubilization of denatured proteins without refolding and their efficient cellular internalization through conjugation to the peptide, octa-arginine (R8), via disulfide bonds with cysteine residues.

Insoluble fraction of tumor cell homogenate is a useful material for eliciting cytotoxic T lymphocytes: a unique method for protein solubilization.

Background/aim: Dendritic cell (DC)-based cancer immunotherapy using tumor homogenate has been evaluated. In all previously reported cases, DCs have been pulsed with a soluble fraction (lysate) of the tumor homogenate. The aim of this study was the evaluation of DCs pulsed with solubilized insoluble fraction of tumor cells.

A novel strategy of cancer gene therapy by transcriptional targeting of an allogeneic histocompatibility transgene.

Background: A drawback of cancer gene therapy is the failure of toxic gene introduction into a proportion of the tumor cells, resulting in re-progression of the disease. Cancer cell-specificity of the gene introduction has also been problematic.

Materials And Methods: Previously defined promoter/enhancer DNA of Q5 tumor antigen gene was used for the purpose of transcriptional targeting.

Tumor cell-specific gene expression by 5'-flanking DNA of murine Q5 gene in an adenoviral vector system.

Background: Regulatory DNA that would induce tumor cell-specific gene expression of arbitrary genes in human cells has been sought. We previously reported that the transcription of mouse Q5 gene was tumor-selective and hypothesized that Q5 5'-flanking DNA had a key role in tumor-selective transcription.

Materials And Methods: Isolation of 3.

Detection of anti-HLA-F antibodies in sera from cancer patients.

Background: We previously reported that a Q5 gene product (Q5 antigen) on the surface of tumor cells caused humoral immune reaction in syngeneic tumor-bearing mice. Transcripts of the Q5 gene were observed in various tumor cells. The human counterpart of the Q5 gene has not been clarified yet.

Tumor cell-specific transcription of a murine histocompatibility class Ib Q5 gene.

Background: We previously reported that the Q5 gene product (Q5 antigen) was expressed on the surface of various tumor cells derived from H-2k (Qa-2-) mice. The Q5 antigen has tumor-protective antigenicity in the syngeneic mice.

Materials And Methods: Transcripts of the Qa region genes were analyzed by the RT-PCR method.

Clinical benefit of non-toxic therapy in patients with advanced cancer (opinion).

It has been widely recognized that chemotherapy of cancer has profound toxic side-effects and suffers limitations in efficacy but, as yet, no solution has been found to this conflict. Consequently, many patients with advanced cancer desire treatment by less toxic therapies even if the technique is not established as a conventional cancer therapy. Thus the establishment of less toxic therapies should be considered as a tentative requirement in clinical practice.