title: Major histocompatibility complex class II antigen and costimulatory molecule expression on the surface of breast cancer cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study the major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) antigen and costimulatory molecules expression on the surface of breast cancer cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  MHC II antigen and costimulatory molecule expression on five breast cancer cell lines including MCF-7, SK-BR-3, T47D, MDA-MB-435 and ZR-75-30 were detected through flow cytometery analysis, with their expression level compared with that of normal mammary cell line HBL-100.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The MHC II expression level of the five breast cancer cell lines were significantly different from that of HBL-100 (P < 0.05). MHC II antigen expression of MCF-7 cells which was about 20 percent of HBL-100 was the lowest. MDA-MB-435 and ZR-75-30 cell expression levels were twice as much as that of HBL-100, with the fluorescence intensity of MDA-MB-435 the highest of all cells. CD40 molecule expression on the surface of MDA-MB-435 cells was the lowest, which was nearly ten percent of that of MCF-7 and HBL-100 cells. CD80 and CD86 molecule expression showed no difference in MDA-MB-435 or HBL-100 cell (P > 0.05), and those of the other four breast cancer cells were lower than that of HBL-100 (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MHC II antigen and costimulatory molecule expression on the surface of breast cancer cells is abnormal, with different molecule expression in different cells. Breast cancer cells can escape immune surveillance through abnormal molecule expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, First Hospital, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Shui
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Linlin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhen
authors.forename: Zhengyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D018122:B7-1 Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D019013:CD40 Antigens / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D006801:Humans; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D018122:B7-1 Antigen; D051940:B7-2 Antigen; D019013:CD40 Antigens; C497964:CD86 protein, human; D000949:Histocompatibility Antigens Class II; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins