| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
五味 慎也 久留米大学, 医学部, 助手 (30289368)
IMAI Yasuhisa Kurume Univ.Sch.Med., Research Associate, 医学部, 助手 (90268847)
NAKAO Masanobu Kurume Univ.Sch.Med., Dep.Immunol., Lecturer, 医学部, 講師 (40258447)
YAMADA Hideaki Kurume Univ.Sch.Med., Dep.Surg., Associate Professor, 医学部, 助教授 (30140669)
ISOMOTO Hiroharu Kurume Univ.Sch.Med., Dep.Surg., Professor, 医学部, 教授 (80080745)
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| Research Abstract |
1) Detection of specific immunity at the tumor sites of digestive tract. One of the fundamental questions in human tumor immunology is whether HLA-class I-restricted and tumor-specific CTLs exist in tumor sites of cancers originated from digestive tract. or not. We have been addressing this question by testing CTL activity of T cells infiltrating into the various cancers of digestive tract after in vitro incubation with interleukin-2. The results showed the presence of HLA-class I-restricted and tumorspecific CTLs at the tumor sites in all the cancer tested, including esophageal cancers, gastric cancers, and colon cancers. For detailed characterization of these CTLs, please see the manuscripts in the peer-reviewed journals that are attached as appendices 1 (CTLs at the sites of esophageal cancers), 2 (CTLs at gastric cancers), and 3 (CtLs at colon cancers)
2) Identification of genes encoding tumor-rejection antigens from cancer of digestive tract. The second question in the human tumor
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immunology is whats' molecules are recognized by these CTLs. Four new genes (SART1, SART2, SART3, and SART4) encoding tumor-rejection antigens have been cloned from cDNA library of human esophageal cancer cells. The peptides encoded by these genes are recognized by either HLA-A24 or-A26-restricted CTLs. HLA-A24 or-A26 allele is found in 60 or 22 % of Japanese. Some of these peptides have the strong activity to induce HLA-class I-restricted CTLs capable of lysing tumor cells. Further, antigens encoded by these genes are highly expressed in cancers of digestive tracts, including head and neck cancers, esophageal cancers, gastric cancers, and colorectal cancers. Therefore, these peptides could be available for relatively large number of cancer patients of digestive tract. For the detailed characterization of SART1 gene, please see the manuscripts in the peer-reviewed journals that re attached as appendices 4 (identification of SART1 gene), 5 (induction of CTLs by the SART1 peptides), 6 (SART1 expression in breast cancer), and 7 (SART1 expression in head and neck cancers). The manuscripts on the SART2 and SART3 genes are under submission for the journals, and that on SART4 genes is in preparation. Less
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