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Immunological profiling of a panel of human ovarian cancer cell lines

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Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The efficient identification of peptide antigens recognized by ovarian cancer-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) requires the use of well-characterized ovarian cancer cell lines. To develop such a panel of cell lines, 11 ovarian cancer cell lines were characterized for the expression of class I and class II major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-encoded molecules, 15 tumor antigens, and immunosuppressive cytokines [transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) and IL-10].

Methods

Class I MHC gene expression was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and class I and class II MHC protein expression was determined by flow cytometry. Tumor antigen expression was determined by a combination of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry. Cytokine expression was determined by ELISA.

Results

Each of the ovarian cancer cell lines expresses cytokeratins, although each cell line does not express the same cytokeratins. One of the lines expresses CD90, which is associated with a fibroblast lineage. Each of the cell lines expresses low to moderate amounts of class I MHC molecules, and several of them express low to moderate amounts of class II MHC molecules. Using a combination of PCR and flow cytometry, it was determined that each cell line expressed between six and thirteen of fifteen antigens tested. Little to no TGF-β3 was produced by any of the cell lines, TGF-β1 was produced by three of the cell lines, TGF-β2 was produced by all of the cell lines, with four of the cell lines producing large amounts of the latent form of the molecule, and IL-10 was produced by one of the cell lines.

Conclusions

Each of the 11 ovarian cancer lines is characterized by a unique expression pattern of epithelial/fibroblast markers, MHC molecules, tumor antigens, and immunosuppressive cytokines. Knowledge of these unique expression patterns will increase the usefulness of these cell lines in identifying the antigens recognized by ovarian cancer-specific CTL.

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Abbreviations

B-LCL:

B-lymphoblastoid cell line

CEA:

Carcinoembryonic antigen

CTL:

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte

Ck:

Cytokeratin

FBP:

Folate binding protein

FBS:

Fetal bovine serum

GAPDH:

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase

mAb:

Monoclonal antibody

MHC:

Major histocompatibility complex

PCR:

Polymerase chain reaction

TGF-β:

Transforming growth factor β

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by grant W81XWH-05-1-0012 from the United States Department of Defense to K. T. Hogan.

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  1. Department of Surgery and the Human Immune Therapy Center, University of Virginia, Box 801359, Charlottesville, VA, 22908, USA

    Tiffany M. Carr, Sara J. Adair, Mitsú J. Fink & Kevin T. Hogan

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  1. Tiffany M. Carr
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  2. Sara J. Adair
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Correspondence to Kevin T. Hogan.

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Carr, T.M., Adair, S.J., Fink, M.J. et al. Immunological profiling of a panel of human ovarian cancer cell lines. Cancer Immunol Immunother 57, 31–42 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-007-0347-7

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