Background: CTLA-4 was initially described as a membrane-bound molecule that inhibited lymphocyte activation by interacting with B7.1 and B7.2 molecules on antigen presenting cells. Alternative splicing of mRNA encoding the CTLA-4 receptor leads to the production of a molecule (sCTLA-4) that lacks a membrane anchor and is therefore secreted into the extracellular space. Despite studies finding that people with autoimmune disease more frequently express high levels of sCTLA-4 in their blood than apparently healthy people, the significance of these findings is unclear.
Methods: Molecules isolated from blood using CTLA-4 specific antibodies were analyzed with ligand binding assays, mass spectroscopy, and biochemical fractionation in an effort to increase our understanding of CTLA-4 immunoreactive material.
Results: Mass spectroscopy analysis of the molecules recognized by multiple CTLA-4-specific antibodies failed to identify any CTLA-4 protein. Even though these molecules bind to the CTLA-4 receptors B7.1 and B7.2, they also exhibit properties common to immunoglobulins.
Conclusion: We have identified molecules in blood that are recognized by CTLA-4 specific antibodies but also exhibit properties of immunoglobulins. Our data indicates that what has been called sCTLA-4 is not a direct product of the CTLA-4 gene, and that the CTLA-4 protein is not part of this molecule. These results may explain why the relationship of sCTLA-4 to immune system activity has been difficult to elucidate.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-2172-10-51 | DOI Listing |
ACS Nano
January 2025
Department of Cancer Biology and Metastasis Research Center, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77054, United States.
Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are generated in all cells. Systemic administration of allogenic EVs derived from epithelial and mesenchymal cells has been shown to be safe, despite carrying an array of functional molecules, including thousands of proteins. To address whether epithelial cell-derived EVs can be modified to acquire the capacity to induce an immune response, we engineered 293T EVs to harbor the immunomodulatory molecules CD80, OX40L, and PD-L1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Opin Oncol
January 2025
San Roque Hospital, Lanzarote, Spain.
Purpose Of Review: Recent research underscores the significant influence of the skin and gut microbiota on melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) development and treatment outcomes. This review aims to synthesize current findings on how microbiota modulates immune responses, particularly enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).
Recent Findings: The microbiota's impact on skin cancer is multifaceted, involving immune modulation, inflammation, and metabolic interactions.
J Inflamm Res
January 2025
Precision Medicine Laboratory, School of Medical Technology and Engineering, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, People's Republic of China.
Ovarian cancer (OC) remains one of the most lethal gynecological malignancies, largely due to its late-stage diagnosis and high recurrence rates. Chronic inflammation is a critical driver of OC progression, contributing to immune evasion, tumor growth, and metastasis. Inflammatory cytokines, including IL-6, TNF-α, and IL-8, as well as key signaling pathways such as nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), are upregulated in OC, promoting a tumor-promoting environment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFImmunotargets Ther
January 2025
Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine of Ministry of Education, Jinan University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Purpose: Our previous study has demonstrated that high expression of immune checkpoints (ICs) was significantly associated with adverse clinical outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This study aims to investigate the significance of the alteration of IC co-expression for evaluating the prognosis of AML patients following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT).
Patients And Methods: Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) data of bone marrow (BM) samples from 62 de novo AML patients, including 37 patients who received allo-HSCT and 25 patients who received chemotherapy only, were used for prognostic analysis.
Heliyon
January 2025
Department of Pancreatic Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
Background: The distribution of adverse events (AEs) triggered by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) across different cancer types has never been demonstrated.
Methods: Randomised controlled trials exclusively assessing ICI monotherapy in cohorts of over 100 patients were considered. Our primary outcome was a comprehensive summary of the distribution of all-grade treatment-related adverse events (TRAEs) as well as serious TRAEs (CTCAE grade 3 or higher) across different malignancies.
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