title: Expression of major histocompatibility complex antigens in squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck: effects of interferon gene transfer.
abstract: The effect of retroviral-mediated interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) gene transfer on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II antigen expression was investigated in 13 head and neck squamous carcinoma cell lines. Six cell lines exhibited increased MHC class I expression, and 10 exhibited increased MHC class II expression after IFN-gamma gene transfer. Differences in MHC antigen expression between parental and transduced cell lines were significant (P = 0. 002) only for cell lines that upregulated MHC class II expression. After incubation in medium containing 100 U/mL recombinant IFN-gamma, or in medium from IFN-gamma retrovirus-transduced NIH 3T3 cells, 12 cell lines significantly upregulated MHC class I expression, and 9 significantly upregulated MHC class II expression. Only cell lines that exhibited increased MHC class II expression after retroviral transduction also upregulated class II expression with exogenous IFN-gamma treatment. Thus some head and neck squamous carcinoma cell lines can upregulate MHC class I and II expression after exogenous application of either IFN-gamma or IFN-gamma retroviral transduction. These are promising findings for head and neck cancer immunotherapy and gene therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: O A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Arosarena
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baranwal
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Strome
authors.forename: G T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Krauss
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Bradford
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Carey
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000628:therapy; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000276:immunology*; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000276:immunology*; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D007371:Interferon-gamma