0000000000650223
AUTHOR
K. Delp
Functional deficiencies of components of the MHC class I antigen pathway in human tumors of epithelial origin
An association between oncogenic transformation and repression of different components of the MHC class I antigen processing machinery (APM) have been described in murine model systems. In order to discover whether a similar correlation exists, human tumor cell lines of distinct histology with altered ras protein were analyzed for the expression of APM components utilizing RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. A heterogeneous expression pattern of MHC class I antigens, TAP peptide transporter, proteasome subunits, proteasome activator PA28 and the chaperones calnexin, calreticulin as well as tapasin was displayed by these tumor cell lines. Single or combined deficiencies in the expression and/o…
Downregulation of the constitutive tapasin expression in human tumor cells of distinct origin and its transcriptional upregulation by cytokines
Human tumor cells frequently exhibit abnormalities in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I surface expression which can be due to structural alterations and/or dysregulation of various components of the MHC class I antigen processing machinery, such as HLA class I heavy and light chains, the peptide transporter and the proteasome subunits. Although several cofactors critical for proper MHC class I assembly have been identified, their contribution to the immune escape phenotype of tumor cells has not been analyzed. In order to determine whether tapasin deficits are an integral part of immune escape mechanisms of human tumors, we studied the constitutive and cytokine-regulated e…