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Anaplastic lymphoma kinase: an oncogene for tumor vaccination

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Abstract

The immune system contributes both to the maintenance of cancer in an equilibrium state and to the elimination of tumor cells. Specific antitumor vaccination could increase the intensity or modulate the quality of this immune response against transformed cells. Antitumor vaccination strategies rely upon the identification of one or multiple antigens that can serve to stimulate the immune system. This review will focus particularly on cancer vaccination strategies based on the use of DNA molecules and on the search for antigens that are required for the growth of tumor cells and that cannot be easily down-regulated by the cancer cells (oncoantigens). In addition, we will summarize some results on clinical trials that are currently exploiting selected antigens against tumors and on the recently identified anaplastic lymphoma kinase as a potential oncoantigen for selected types of human cancers.

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Abbreviations

ALCL:

Anaplastic large cell lymphomas

ALK:

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase

ATIC:

5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase/IMP cyclohydrolase

CNS:

Central nervous system

CTL:

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes

DC:

Dendritic cell

EML4:

Echinoderm microtubule-associated protein-like 4

Her2:

Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2

IFN-γ:

Interferon-gamma

LTK:

Leukocyte tyrosine kinase

MHC:

Major histocompatibility complexes

MUC1:

Mucin 1

NHL:

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas

NPM1:

Nucleophosmin

NSCLCs:

Non-small-cell lung cancers

shRNA:

Short hairpin RNA

siRNA:

Small interfering RNA

TAAs:

Tumor-associated antigens

TGF:

Transforming growth factor

Th:

T helper

TMP3:

Tropomyosin

TYR:

Tyrosinase

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Ministero dell’Università e Ricerca Scientifica (MUR), Ministero della Salute, the Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul Cancro (AIRC), the Regione Piemonte, the Compagnia di San Paolo Torino, the Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino, the Fondazione Guido Berlucchi per la Ricerca sul Cancro, and the National Institutes of Health grant number R01-CA64033 to GI.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Experimental Research and Medical Studies (CERMS), University of Turin, Via Santena 7, 10126, Turin, Italy

    Cristina Mastini, Cinzia Martinengo, Giorgio Inghirami & Roberto Chiarle

  2. Department of Biomedical Sciences and Human Oncology, University of Turin, Via Santena 7, 10126, Turin, Italy

    Giorgio Inghirami & Roberto Chiarle

  3. Department of Pathology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Giorgio Inghirami

  4. New York Cancer Center, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Giorgio Inghirami

Authors
  1. Cristina Mastini
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  2. Cinzia Martinengo
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  3. Giorgio Inghirami
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  4. Roberto Chiarle
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roberto Chiarle.

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Cristina Mastini and Cinzia Martinengo equally contributed to this work.

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Mastini, C., Martinengo, C., Inghirami, G. et al. Anaplastic lymphoma kinase: an oncogene for tumor vaccination. J Mol Med 87, 669–677 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-009-0460-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00109-009-0460-5

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