Does pregnancy immunize against breast cancer?
Multiparity has been linked with protection against breast cancer. T cells from biparous women, but not T cells from nulliparous women or men, specifically proliferated in response to core peptide sequences of a human breast cancer-associated mucin (MUC-1). Two of the nulliparous women were retested during the first trimester of their first pregnancy, and their T cells proliferated specifically in response to MUC-1 mucin. These observations support the hypothesis that there is a natural immunization against MUC-1 peptide epitopes during pregnancy which provides some protection against the development of breast cancer. These data also suggest that certain MUC-1 synthetic peptides might be effective components of "vaccines" for therapy or prevention of breast cancer.
Agrawal
B
B
Department of Immunology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
Reddish
M A
MA
Krantz
M J
MJ
Longenecker
B M
BM
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins / Q000276:immunology / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010298:Parity; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011247:Pregnancy / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology
D000939:Epitopes; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D018396:Mucin-1; D009077:Mucins; D010446:Peptide Fragments