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Biomedical subjects

C Jemma

Publications and source records attributed to C Jemma.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Human herpesvirus 6 and Epstein-Barr virus in Hodgkin's disease: a controlled study by polymerase chain reaction and in situ hybridization.

Human herpesvirus-6 (HHV-6), a T-lymphotropic double-stranded DNA virus highly endemic in human populations, has been suggested to play a possible role in the development of lymphoid neoplasms, especially Hodgkin's disease. To investigate this point, we evaluated the presence and distribution of HHV-6 DNA by Southern blot, nested polymerase chain reaction, and in situ hybridization in a series of lymphoproliferative disorders including 73 Hodgkin's disease cases, 15 non-Hodgkin lymphomas, and 19 reactive lymph nodes. A high prevalence of HHV-6 infection was observed within the Hodgkin's disease category by polymerase chain reaction (38 of 52, 73%) and in situ hybridization (47 of 57, 82.4%); however, a similar prevalence was found in non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (10 of 15, 66.6%) and reactive lymph nodes (13 of 19, 68.4%). In no case did Southern blot detect viral DNA, suggesting that the neoplastic tissue contained a low number of HHV-6 copies. In situ hybridization showed that the HHV-6 positivity was restricted to lymphocytes, whereas Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells were consistently negative. Immunohistochemical staining with specific monoclonal antibodies against viral structural proteins was also negative, indicating the absence of a productive infection. No relationship was observed between HHV-6 positivity and histological type, clinical parameters, and outcome of the disease. In the same series, a high proportion of cases (39 of 52, 75%) showed the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome by polymerase chain reaction; In situ hybridization for Epstein-Barr-virus-encoded small RNA and immunohistochemical detection of latent membrane protein-1 gave similar results (73.6% of positive cases with both methods). In 54.9% of the cases, both sequences of HHV-6 and Epstein-Barr virus DNA were found, suggesting that a synergism of the two viruses may occur. However, the lack of detectable HHV-6 DNA in Reed-Sternberg and Hodgkin's cells seems to argue against such an interpretation. Based on these results, HHV-6 does not appear to play a specific role in the pathogenesis of Hodgkin's disease.

Blotting, Southern↗

Temporary regression of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck is achieved with a low but not with a high dose of recombinant interleukin 2 injected perilymphatically.

The efficacy of ten daily injections of 500 or 500,000 U of recombinant interleukin 2 (IL-2) day-1 given 1.5 cm from the insertion of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the mastoid was evaluated in 31 patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. No toxic effects were noted. One complete response (CR) and three partial responses (PRs) were observed in the 16 patients who received 500 U of IL-2, whereas the higher dose was not effective. The CR was recorded in one of the seven patients with a oropharyngeal recurrence. Partial responses were obtained in 1/5 patients with hypopharyngeal recurrences, in 1/5 patients with oral cavity recurrences and 1/7 patients with laryngeal recurrences. The duration of the responses was 3-5 months and additional courses of ten injections of IL-2 had no further effect.

Carcinoma, Squamous Cell↗

Presence of murine retroviral sequences in human cell line transplanted in immunosuppressed SCID-mice.

The SCID-hu mouse, a severe combined immunodeficient mouse transplanted with human hematopoietic cells, has been proposed as an experimental model for HIV-1 infection. However, like other animal models for infectious diseases, the SCID-hu mouse should provide the replication of the experimental agent without conferring any alteration during growth in the host. In this study using Southern blot hybridization, in situ hybridization and PCR analysis we demonstrate the presence of specific murine retroviral sequences in human cells recovered from the in vivo passages in SCID mice. Since the acquisition of endogenous retrovirus by human cells was demonstrated after their growth in nude mice, the data reported here extend this observation to the SCID model.

Animals↗

In vitro and in vivo immunomodulatory activity of ST 789 on two human lymphoblastic T cell lines.

The immunomodulatory activity of the synthetic derivative, N-alpha-5(1,6-dihydro-6-oxo-9-purinyl) pentyloxy-carbonyl-L-arginine (ST 789) has been evaluated by using two human T-cell lines stabilized in our laboratory from the pleural effusion fluid of a patient with acute T lymphoblastic leukemia and from the lymph node biopsy of a child with convoluted T-cell lymphoma, respectively. In vitro, ST 789 did not substantially modify the expression of membrane antigens and the proliferation of both lines, whereas their growth in immunosuppressed nude mice was hampered by the local injection of 0.1 microgram/mouse ST 789 for ten days. The combined administration of ST 789 with human peripheral blood polymorphonuclear cells completely inhibited the in vivo tumorigenicity of the T lymphoma. These in vivo findings show that the antitumor action displayed by ST 789 is probably due to its boosting of natural mechanisms.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗

In vitro and in vivo comparison of the activity of human lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells and adherent LAK cells.

The effectiveness of "standard" lymphokine-activated killer (LAK) cells, recovered after 6 days, and of "standard" adherent LAK (A-LAK) cells, recovered after 14 days of culture in the presence of recombinant interleukin-2 (rIL-2) from peripheral blood lymphocytes of 21 healthy donors, was assessed through comparison of their proliferation, surface markers, cytotoxic activity, lymphokine production, and antitumor activity. In the presence of rIL-2, plastic adherent precursors of A-LAK cells proliferated much better than those of "standard LAK" cells and expanded even more than 300-fold. However, the final cell recovery of A-LAK was always lower because of their very few precursors, and the total lytic units (LUs) generated in A-LAK cultures were always lower for the same reason. On the other hand, the lytic activity of each A-LAK cell was always higher than that of a LAK cell. This was particularly evident on day 6 of culture. Removal of nonadherent cells after the first 24 h culture resulted in a significant enrichment in CD3-CD56+ and CD8+CD56+ cells in A-LAK cells, with a marginal number of CD4+ cells. A significant direct correlation between LUs and A-LAK CD3-CD56+ percentage was found. In the presence of rIL-2, A-LAK cells produced higher amounts of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interferon-gamma than LAK cells, while only A-LAK cells produced IL-1 beta and small amounts of IL-4. Neither LAK nor A-LAK produced IL-2. In the absence of injections of IL-2, LAK and A-LAK cells were equally able to inhibit the growth of a human T-cell lymphoma in immunosuppressed nude mice.

Animals↗

The effect of preoperative local interleukin-2 (IL-2) injections in patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. An immunological study.

Clinical, immunological, immunophenotypical, pathological and molecular biological studies were performed on tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) and lymph node lymphocytes (LN-ly) of 8 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx treated with 10 daily locoregional injections of low doses of IL-2 before surgery. No complications were seen during or after surgery. In 3 cases the LN-ly showed a moderate LAK activity, higher in the LN-ly omolateral to the tumor and near the IL-2 injection site; in 2 of these 3 patients a good LAK activity was induced after 6-day culture with IL-2. The LN-ly derived from nodes next to the tumor showed a decreased NK activity and proliferative ability both in basal conditions and after in vitro lymphokine challenging. LN-ly of 2 IL-2 treated patients showed high levels of mRNA encoding for IL-2-R, while it was absent in 2 untreated cases. Immunophenotypical studies on TIL showed statistically improved levels of CD25+ and LAK1+ cells in treated cases. Clusters of CD11c+ (macrophages) cells were seen close to the neoplastic sheets.

Aged↗

Expanded HIV-1 cellular tropism by phenotypic mixing with murine endogenous retroviruses.

In view of the current interest in in vivo murine models for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), the interaction between human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and endogenous murine leukemia virus (MuLV)-related retroviruses was investigated with a human leukemic T cell line (PF-382x) that acquired xenotropic MuLV (X-MuLV) after in vivo passage in immunosuppressed mice. Despite similar levels of membrane CD4 expression and HIV-1 125I-labeled gp 120 binding, a dramatic acceleration in the time course of HIV-1 infection was observed in PF-382x compared to its X-MuLV-negative counterpart (PF-382). Moreover, PF-382 cells coinfected by X-MuLV and HIV-1 generated a progeny of phenotypically mixed viral particles, enabling HIV-1 to productively infect a panel of CD4- human cells, including B lymphoid cells and purified normal peripheral blood CD4-/CD8+ T lymphocytes. Mixed viral phenotypes were also produced by human CD4+ T cells coinfected with an amphotropic MuLV-related retrovirus (A-MuLV) and HIV-1. These data show that endogenous MuLV acquired by human cells transplanted into mice can significantly interact with HIV-1, thereby inducing important alterations of HIV-1 biological properties.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Perilymphatic injections of cytokines: a new tool in active cancer immunotherapy. Experimental rationale and clinical findings.

Various strategies for local immunotherapy performed by using lymphokines and lymphocytes are presented. In experimental mice models, the antitumor reaction elicited through the injection of little amounts of IL-2 and gamma-IFN at the tumor growth site is significantly enhanced by the concurrence of lymphocytes from tumor bearing mice artificially admixed to challenging tumor cells. These lymphocytes act as initiator or helper cells that elicit both a local and a systemic long lasting immune reaction by the release of additional lymphokines. The reaction activated mostly involves draining lymph nodes, where multiple reaction mechanisms are induced. The local injection of cocktails of molecularly defined lymphokines can also mimic the helper action of lymphocytes and trigger a similarly effective anti-tumor reaction. A set of pilot clinical trials with IL-2 or gamma-IFN injected perilymphatically were initiated in patients with advanced primary or recurrent localized tumors of the head and neck and the bladder. This treatment appears to elicit a local reaction by activating a few pathways of patients immunoreactivity, whose efficiency may well be high, as shown by the tumor inhibition often observed.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Infiltrating leukocyte populations and T-lymphocyte subsets in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas from patients receiving perilymphatic injections of recombinant interleukin 2. A pathologic and immunophenotypic study.

Nine patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity and oropharynx underwent preoperative perilymphatic administration of recombinant interleukin 2 (rIL-2). A more marked eosinophil and lymphocyte infiltration and more extensive edema than in 13 untreated cases were observed in surgical specimens. Necrosis was present in five of nine cases, but involved no more than 10% of the neoplastic tissue; in three of nine cases, characteristic necrotic changes with intense eosinophil infiltration possibly induced by lymphokines involved the peritumoral soft tissues. Of the tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes (mostly CD4+ cells) prevailed over B-lymphocytes. CD4+ and CD8+ cells were mainly located close to the neoplastic sheets. Moderate amounts of CD38+ and CD11c+ cells (macrophages) and few CD16+ and CD56+ lymphocytes were found in all cases. CD25+ and LAK1+ cells were significantly more numerous in treated than in untreated cases. This suggests that local administration of rIL-2 induces an increase in activated T-lymphocyte subsets infiltrating the neoplastic tissue, thus eliciting a tumor-specific T-lymphocyte reactivity.

Adult↗

Lymphokine-activated tumor inhibition in mice. Ability of a nonapeptide of the human IL-1 beta to recruit anti-tumor reactivity in recipient mice.

The ability of the VQGEESNDK synthetic peptide corresponding to fragment 163-171 of human IL-1 beta to trigger lymphokine-activated tumor inhibition (LATI) of a poorly immunogenic fibrosarcoma (CE-2) of BALB/c mice was compared to that of the whole IL-1 beta. Neither molecule inhibits in vitro proliferation of CE-2 cells. Administration at the tumor challenge site for 10 days of daily injections of 50 micrograms of peptide 163-171 induce a consistent, although limited, inhibition of tumor growth, whereas similar injections of 1 pg of IL-1 beta induced a more marked LATI. However, strong LATI was elicited when these injections were performed in mice challenged with tumor cells admixed at 1/10 cell ratio with nonreactive lymphocytes from CE-2-bearing mice. The L3T4+ lymphocyte subset is mainly responsible for this enhancement. This reaction is abolished when recipient mice are sub-lethally irradiated, treated with cyclosporin A, or when the reactivity of L3T4+ and asialo GM1+ cells is suppressed. A similarly efficient LATI is found on combining the daily peptide injections with that of 10 U of IL-2. LATI stemming from this association, too, is abolished when mice are irradiated or treated with anti-L3T4 antibody, whereas it is not affected by cyclosporin A or anti-asialo GM1 antibody. Finally, a tumor-specific immune memory is acquired by about 50% of mice after LATI induced by IL-1 beta or 163-171 peptide alone and by about 80% of mice after LATI induced by peptide and lymphocytes from tumor-bearing mice or peptide and IL-2. These findings could lead to the building of a molecularly defined system to induce efficient immune recognition of tumor cells by using a peptide that does not cause any of the several inflammation-associated changes induced by the whole IL-1 beta.

Animals↗

Effect of low doses of interleukin-2 injected perilymphatically and peritumorally in patients with advanced primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

For 10 days, four patients with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck received two daily injections of 100 units of natural IL-2, one around the tumor, the second near the tumor-draining lymph nodes. No side effects were observed. Histologic and ultrastructural examination of tumor and lymph nodes recovered at surgery showed that in many instances neoplastic cells were intermingled with numerous lymphocytes and eosinophils. Lymph nodes displayed hyperplasia of both cortical and paracortical areas and epithelioid venules infiltrated by lymphocytes and granulocytes. In a few cases, a decrease or disappearance of neoplastic lesions was also documented both clinically and histologically.

Aged↗

Treatment of recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck with low doses of interleukin-2 injected perilymphatically.

Ten patients with recurrent squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck received daily injections of interleukin-2 (IL-2) from the Jurkat T-cell line purified by high pressure liquid chromatography for 10 days. Two hundred units of IL-2 in 0.5 ml were injected 1.5 cm from the insertion of the sternocleidomastoid muscle on the mastoid. When possible, courses were repeated at 45-day intervals. IL-2 was ineffective in two patients who had already undergone functional or radical neck dissection. By contrast, in six patients with contralateral or bilateral cervical lymph nodes, complete or partial disappearance of the tumor was observed. The injections were occasionally followed by moderate local swelling and lymph node pain, but no systemic disturbances.

Adult↗

Obligatory role of IFN-gamma in induction of lymphokine-activated and T lymphocyte killer activity, but not in boosting of natural cytotoxicity.

The biological role of the murine IFN-gamma endogenously secreted during cell activation has been probed by the use of a rat mAb (AN18) that specifically neutralizes its activity. When An18 mAb is added to the cultures of BALB/c and C57BL/6 nylon nonadherent spleen cells (naSpc) stimulated for 18 h with 1000 U of IL-2, the normally released IFN-gamma can no longer be detected in the supernatants and the IL-2-induced proliferative response is markedly reduced as compared with control cultures set up in the presence of an unrelated rat mAb. By contrast, the increased natural cytotoxicity is not affected. The 96-h culture of both BALB/c and C57BL/6 naSpc in the presence of 1000 U of IL-2 resulted in marked lymphocyte proliferation and generation of lymphokine-activated killer activity. The presence of An18 mAb strongly inhibited both functions. Similarly, when naSpc were stimulated with mitomycin C-inactivated allogeneic leukocytes in the presence of An18 mAb, the normal proliferative response and specific cytotoxicity were almost abolished, whereas the secretion of IL-2 was in no way affected. Lymphocytes recovered from 3-day cultures stimulated by IL-2 or allogeneic cells in the presence of An18 mAb displayed a decrease of the expression of the p55 chain of IL-2R, as shown by flow cytofluorimetry. Moreover, binding experiments with 125I-labeled IL-2 showed that lymphocytes from allostimulated cultures set up in the presence of An18 mAb display a decreased number of low affinity and almost no high affinity IL-2R as compared with control cultures. These data show that endogenous IFN-gamma plays an obligatory role for the de novo induction of cytolytic activity in lymphokine-activated killer cells and CTL, most probably by affecting the membrane expression of high affinity IL-2R.

Animals↗

A new childhood T-cell lymphoma established in nude mice and in vitro.

A T-lymphoma cell line was established from a lymph node biopsy of a boy currently alive in complete remission. Neoplastic cells from this biopsy did not grow in vitro, whereas they formed a progressively growing s.c. tumor in splenectomized and sublethally irradiated nude mice and became serially transplantable in splenectomized and sublethally irradiated nude mice with a stable latency time. After the fourth transplant, cells were stored in liquid nitrogen and referred to as ST-4 cells. ST-4 cells display a membrane phenotype and a karyotype similar to that of the biopsy cells. After thawing, ST-4 cells grow both in splenectomized and sublethally irradiated nude mice and in vitro. They do not secrete interferon or interleukin 2, do not have natural killer activity, and do not respond to mitogen or alloantigen stimulation. The stable features of these T-lymphoma cells and the availability of normal autologous lymphocytes from the patient make this in vivo system quite unique and of importance for studies in tumor immunotherapy.

Animals↗

Interferon-gamma is not an antiviral, but a growth-promoting factor for T lymphocytes.

The effects of interferon (IFN)-gamma or IFN-alpha/beta on virus yield, (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase activation, H-2 antigen expression and proliferation of T lymphocytes have been investigated. Under the culture conditions used, vesicular stomatitis virus or Semliki Forest virus replication in T cells was not impaired by the addition of IFN-gamma, whereas it was completely inhibited by the addition of IFN-alpha/beta. In contrast, B cell lines, macrophage-transformed cell lines and fibroblasts were fully protected by both IFN-gamma as well as IFN-alpha/beta following virus infection. The lack of sensitivity of T lymphocytes to the antiviral effects of IFN-gamma was not due to absence of specific membrane receptors, since in saturation binding experiments with 125I-labeled murine IFN-gamma most T cell lines displayed a number of binding sites and a degree of affinity comparable to those found on B cells, which are fully sensitive to IFN-gamma antiviral activity. Analysis of IFN-induced dsRNA-dependent (2'-5')oligo(A) synthetase activity, one of the biochemical markers for cellular responses to IFN, showed that it was not induced in T lymphocytes after IFN-gamma treatment, whereas IFN-alpha/beta induced high levels. Both IFN-gamma and IFN-alpha/beta enhanced H-2 antigen expression on T cells as well as on cells of different histological type. Moreover, when IFN-gamma was tested for its antiproliferative activity on T cells, it was found to consistently potentiate the response of these cells to mitogens or growth factors, rather than inhibit their proliferation. Taken as a whole these results suggest that on T lymphocytes IFN-gamma should not be regarded as an antiviral agent, but rather as a modulator of T cell growth and functional differentiation, transducing intracellular signals dissimilar to those observed with target cells of different origin.

2',5'-Oligoadenylate Synthetase↗

Helper strategy in tumor immunology: expansion of helper lymphocytes and utilization of helper lymphokines for experimental and clinical immunotherapy.

Two main kinds of immune strategy are possible against neoplasia. The first potentiates a selected effector arm. In vitro culture with exogenous interleukin-2 (IL-2) increases the activity of natural killer cells and leads to the expansion of T cytotoxic lymphocytes. Systemic reinfusion of both of these cells with high doses of IL-2 mediates the regression of a variety of murine and human tumors. In an alternative strategy, a few regulatory lymphocytes turn on immune reactivity by triggering a cascade of interconnected effector functions. The efficacy of this strategy rests on the repertoire of effector mechanisms moved to action. An effective immunoregulatory maneuver is the addition of helper determinants on the surface of tumor cells. Its power can be further increased by the pre-induction of helper T lymphocytes specific to the helper determinants. This approach can be achieved in mice by coupling muramyl dipeptides to tumor cells, along with eliciting T lymphocytes specifically reactive to Bacillus Calmette-Guerin. Noncytotoxic T helper lymphocytes produce factors which recruit nonspecific (macrophages) as well as specific (cytolytic T lymphocytes) anti-tumor attacking cells. In this way protection can be afforded against primary tumors and metastases, as well as leukemia cells. As the activity of helper lymphocytes rests mostly on lymphokine release, the use of molecularly defined lymphokines mimicking T-helper functions has also been attempted. In a few experimental models, the association of low doses of IL-2 with non-reactive lymphocytes from tumor-bearing mice promotes an effective anti-tumor reaction in the host. Moreover, the combination of distinct lymphokines can also build a molecularly defined helper system able to activate in sequence non-specific and specific anti-tumor reactions in vivo. Trials intended to evaluate the clinical impact of these helper approaches in the management of human tumors are being started or are already under way.

Acetylmuramyl-Alanyl-Isoglutamine↗