Quantitative Flow Cytometry: Concerns and Recommendations in Clinic and Research.

Background: Quantitative flow cytometry (QFCM) can be an important element within the developing toolbox for clinical diagnostics which relies on precise and rapid tests that provide a conclusive answer for physicians. The FC technology combines all of these features. Until recently, this imperative discipline was based on qualitative assessments of cell populations.

Clinical Significance of Circulating CD33+CD11b+HLA-DR- Myeloid Cells in Patients with Stage IV Melanoma Treated with Ipilimumab.

Purpose: High levels of circulating myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) in various cancer types, including melanoma, were shown to correlate with poor survival. We investigated whether frequencies of circulating CD33CD11bHLA-DR MDSCs could be used as immune system monitoring biomarkers to predict response and survival of patients with stage IV melanoma treated with anti-CTLA4 (ipilimumab) therapy.

Experimental Design: Peripheral blood samples from 56 patients and 50 healthy donors (HDs) were analyzed for CD33CD11bHLA-DR MDSC percentage, NO, and hROS levels by flow cytometry.

Impaired SNX9 Expression in Immune Cells during Chronic Inflammation: Prognostic and Diagnostic Implications.

Chronic inflammation is associated with immunosuppression and downregulated expression of the TCR CD247. In searching for new biomarkers that could validate the impaired host immune status under chronic inflammatory conditions, we discovered that sorting nexin 9 (SNX9), a protein that participates in early stages of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, is downregulated as well under such conditions. SNX9 expression was affected earlier than CD247 by the generated harmful environment, suggesting that it is a potential marker sensing the generated immunosuppressive condition.

Acquisition of an immunosuppressive protumorigenic macrophage phenotype depending on c-Jun phosphorylation.

The inflamed tumor microenvironment plays a critical role in tumorigenesis. However, the mechanisms through which immune cells, particularly macrophages, promote tumorigenesis have only been partially elucidated, and the full scope of signaling pathways supplying macrophages with protumorigenic phenotypes still remain largely unknown. Here we report that germ-line absence of c-Jun N-terminal phosphorylation at serines 63 and 73 impedes inflammation-associated hepatocarcinogenesis, yet deleting c-Jun only in hepatocytes does not inhibit hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) formation.

CD247, a novel T cell-derived diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for detecting disease progression and severity in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Objective: We have previously shown that chronic inflammation results in immunosuppression associated with CD247 downregulation in T lymphocytes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is known to be associated with chronic inflammation. We therefore sought to examine CD247 expression levels in patients with T2DM and to assess whether it can serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for disease complications and outcomes.

Unique ζ-chain motifs mediate a direct TCR-actin linkage critical for immunological synapse formation and T-cell activation.

TCR-mediated activation induces receptor microclusters that evolve to a defined immune synapse (IS). Many studies showed that actin polymerization and remodeling, which create a scaffold critical to IS formation and stabilization, are TCR mediated. However, the mechanisms controlling simultaneous TCR and actin dynamic rearrangement in the IS are yet not fully understood.

Expression and function of CD300 in NK cells.

The killing activity of NK cells is regulated by signals derived from inhibitory and activating NK cell receptors, including the CD300 family of proteins. CD300a was reported to be expressed on all NK cells and to deliver an inhibitory signal upon binding to a yet unknown ligand/s. The CD300a protein contains four ITIMs and is highly homologous to CD300c.

Involvement of Sir2/4 in silencing of DNA breakage and recombination on mouse YACs during yeast meiosis.

Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) that contain human DNA backbone undergo DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and recombination during yeast meiosis at rates similar to the yeast native chromosomes. Surprisingly, YACs containing DNA covering a recombination hot spot in the mouse major histocompatibility complex class III region do not show meiotic DSBs and undergo meiotic recombination at reduced levels. Moreover, segregation of these YACs during meiosis is seriously compromised.