title: RFX-B, a MHC class II transcription factor, suppressed in human colorectal adenocarcinomas.
abstract: Regulatory factor X (RFX) is an essential MHC class II transcription factor and contains three distinct subunits of which RFX-B is one. Aberrant expression of MHC class II genes is associated with autoimmunity, tumour growth and failure to mount an immune response. RFX-B protein expression in human colorectal adenocarcinomas and in normal adjacent tissue was analysed in this study. Western blot analysis showed a suppression of nuclear RFX-B protein in the tumour tissue. Immunohistochemistry revealed that the RFX-B protein levels in macrophages were generally lower in colorectal cancerous tissue compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissue and that focally and not frequently tumour and normal epithelial cells were stained weakly for RFX-B. As the expression of MHC class II correlates with the intensity of the immune response system these results may support the idea that cancer is associated with immunodeficiency and that low levels of RFX-B in interstitial macrophages could partly explain this thesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Science and Biomedicine, University College of Health Sciences, S-551 11 Jönköping, Sweden. jan.dimberg@hhj.hj.se
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dimberg
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hugander
authors.forename: Britt-Marie
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Häll-Karlsson
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sirsjö
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D015536:Down-Regulation; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008264:Macrophages / Q000737:chemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C117892:RFXANK protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors