Biomedical subjects

Vladia Monsurró

Publications and source records attributed to Vladia Monsurró.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2004

Selection and validation of endogenous reference genes using a high throughput approach.

BACKGROUND: Endogenous reference genes are commonly used to normalize expression levels of other genes with the assumption that the expression of the former is constant in different tissues and in different physiopathological conditions. Whether this assumption is correct it is, however, still matter of debate. In this study, we searched for stably expressed genes in 384 cDNA array hybridization experiments encompassing different tissues and cell lines. RESULTS: Several genes were identified whose expression was highly stable across all samples studied. The usefulness of 8 genes among them was tested by normalizing the relative gene expression against test genes whose expression pattern was known. The range of accuracy of individual endogenous reference genes was wide whereas consistent information could be obtained when information pooled from different endogenous reference genes was used. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that even when the most stably expressed genes in array experiments are used as endogenous reference, significant variation in test gene expression estimates may occur and the best normalization is achieved when data from several endogenous reference genes are pooled together to minimize minimal but significant variation among samples. We are presently optimizing strategies for the preparation of endogenous reference gene mixtures that could yield information comparable to that of data pooled from individual endogenous reference gene normalizations.

Carcinoma↗

PubMed2004

Gene expression profiling of anticancer immune responses.

Anticancer immune responses can be enhanced by immune manipulation, however, the biological mechanism responsible for these immune responses remains largely unexplained. Conventional immunology researchers have extensively studied specific interactions between immune and cancer cells, and additional investigations have identified co-factors that may enhance the effectiveness of such interactions. As the molecular understanding of individual interactions increases, it is becoming apparent that no single mechanism can explain the phenomenon of tumor rejection. The contribution of several components of the innate and adaptive immune response is likely to be required for successful tumor rejection. These components may be variably recruited and activated by molecules with immune modulatory properties being produced by tumor and bystander cells within the tumor micro-environment. Such complexity can only be appreciated and solved by high-throughput tools capable of providing a global view of biological processes as they occur. This review will present selected examples of how high-throughput gene expression profiling may contribute to the understanding of anticancer immune responses. As reviews on technological aspects of the genomic analysis of cancer are already available, this review will provide a speculative discussion about their potential usefulness.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

A global approach to tumor immunology.

Biological and clinical advances in the understanding of tumor immunology suggest that immune responsiveness of human tumors is a complex biological phenomenon that could be best studied by a real-time comparison of tumor/host interactions in the tumor microenvironment through a high-throughput discovery-driven approach. This conclusion is derived from our recognition that too many hypotheses or, in other words, no solid single hypothesis exist, based on experimental results, to further drive experimentation in human subjects. Functional genomic studies entertained during the last few years consolidated the belief that in humans the interactions between tumor and immune cells are too complex to be approached exclusively with a hypothesis driven method. We believe that immune cells suit cancer cells in a Yin and Yang balance by opposing and yet mutually depending on each other. Indeed, immune infiltration in tumors may play a dual role modulating in different circumstances cancer cell growth or destruction through a physiological modulation of inflammation. It is reasonable to question what induces inflammation at the tumor site. We hypothesize that inflammation is primarily driven by the phenotype of tumor cells that can modulate their microenvironment through cell-to-cell interactions or the secretion of soluble factors. Thus, in analogy the observation of immune cells within tumors parallels the presence of paramedics, police and firemen at the scene of an accident, which is reactive to and not causative of the occurrence. In this review we will explore this hypothesis by reporting and summarizing most of our recent work in the frame of available literature on the subject.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗