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Spontaneous high-titered IgG antibody responses against BCL-2 in patients with aggressive lymphomas

  • Original Paper
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Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Molecules which are exclusively or preferentially expressed by malignant cells are potential targets for immunotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer.

Methods

We therefore tested serum samples of 95 patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas for antibodies against lymphoma-associated molecules using SEREX for antibodies against BCL-2, BCL-XL, MCL-1, survivin, BCL-6, CD20, LM02, PDE4B, cyclin-D2, actinin-α1, SCYA3, PKCβ2, E2IG3, and HGAL.

Results

One patient had low-titered (1:100) antibodies against PKCβ2. Antibodies against BCL-2 were detected in the sera of five patients (5.3%), with responses found more frequently in follicular lymphoma grade 3 (3/26 or 11.5%) than in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (2/67 or 3%). Anti-BCL-2 antibodies were of the IgG class and titers ranged from 1:1,000 to 1:100,000 with highest titers before treatment and decreasing slowly during remission.

Conclusion

The spontaneous immunogenicity of BCL-2 makes this molecule a prime candidate for vaccine approaches in BCL-2 positive B-cell lymphomas.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Roche for supporting this work by an unrestricted grant and Maria Kemele and Evi Regitz for excellent technical assistance.

Conflict of interest statement

We declare that we have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Innere Medizin I, Jose-Carreras Center for Immuno- and Genetherapy, Saarland University Medical School Homburg, 66421, Homburg (Saar), Germany

    Carsten Zwick, Gerhard Held, Vera Hammermeister, Adnan AlAhmad, Boris Kubuschok, Joerg Bittenbring, Manfred Ahlgrimm, Frank Neumann, Klaus-Dieter Preuss & Michael Pfreundschuh

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  1. Carsten Zwick
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  2. Gerhard Held
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  3. Vera Hammermeister
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  4. Adnan AlAhmad
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  5. Boris Kubuschok
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  6. Joerg Bittenbring
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  7. Manfred Ahlgrimm
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  8. Frank Neumann
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  9. Klaus-Dieter Preuss
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  10. Michael Pfreundschuh
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Correspondence to Michael Pfreundschuh.

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Zwick, C., Held, G., Hammermeister, V. et al. Spontaneous high-titered IgG antibody responses against BCL-2 in patients with aggressive lymphomas. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 135, 1207–1213 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-009-0561-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-009-0561-0

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