Among B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, MALT lymphomas express a unique antibody repertoire with frequent rheumatoid factor reactivity.

We analyzed the structure of antigen receptors of a comprehensive panel of mature B non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHLs) by comparing, at the amino acid level, their immunoglobulin (Ig)V(H)-CDR3s with CDR3 sequences present in GenBank. Follicular lymphomas, diffuse large B cell lymphomas, Burkitt's lymphomas, and myelomas expressed a CDR3 repertoire comparable to that of normal B cells. Mantle cell lymphomas and B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemias (B-CLLs) expressed clearly restricted albeit different CDR3 repertoires.

Modified vaccinia virus ankara recombinants are as potent as vaccinia recombinants in diversified prime and boost vaccine regimens to elicit therapeutic antitumor responses.

Cancer vaccine regimens use various strategies to enhance immune responses to specific tumor-associated antigens (TAAs), including the increasing use of recombinant poxviruses [vaccinia (rV) and fowlpox (rF)] for delivery of the TAA to the immune system. However, the use of replication competent vectors with the potential of adverse reactions have made attenuation a priority for next-generation vaccine strategies. Modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) is a replication defective form of vaccinia virus.

Expression of activation-induced cytidine deaminase is confined to B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas of germinal-center phenotype.

Activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) is essential for somatic hypermutation and class switch recombination of the immunoglobulin (IG) genes in B cells. It has recently been proposed that AID, as the newly identified DNA mutator in man, may be instrumental in initiation and progression of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (B-NHL). We quantitatively measured, by real-time reverse-transcription PCR, expression of AID and of the error-prone DNA polymerase iota in normal B cells and a comprehensive panel of B-NHL entities.

Vaccine therapy of established tumors in the absence of autoimmunity.

Purpose: Many current clinical trials involve vaccination of patients with vaccines directed against tumor-associated antigens, which are, in actuality, "self-antigens" overexpressed in tumors as compared with normal tissues. As tumor vaccines become more potent through the addition of costimulatory molecules and cytokines and the use of diversified prime and boost regimes, the level of concern rises regarding the balance between antitumor immunity and pathological autoimmunity. Studies were conducted using mice bearing a transgenic self-antigen [human carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA)], which is expressed in some normal adult tissues, and tumor expressing the same self-antigen.

Primary follicular lymphoma of the small intestine: alpha4beta7 expression and immunoglobulin configuration suggest an origin from local antigen-experienced B cells.

Primary follicular lymphoma of the gastrointestinal tract (GI-FL) is a rare so far poorly studied entity. We analyzed four FL cases located in the small intestine and duodenum to gain insight in their pathogenesis and to find an explanation for their low tendency to disseminate outside the GI tract. GI-FLs resemble nodal FLs with respect to morphology and expression of typical GC markers such as CD10, CD38, and BCL-6.