title: Immune selective pressure and HLA class I antigen defects in malignant lesions.
abstract: The revived cancer immune surveillance theory has emphasized the active role the immune system plays in eliminating tumor cells and in facilitating the emergence of their immunoresistant variants. MHC class I molecule abnormalities represent, at least in part, the molecular phenotype of these escape variants, given the crucial role of MHC class I molecules in eliciting tumor antigen-specific T cell responses, the high frequency of HLA class I antigen abnormalities in malignant lesions and their association with a poor clinical course of the disease. Here, we present evidence for this possibility and review the potential mechanisms by which T cell selective pressure participates in the generation of tumor cells with MHC class I molecule defects. Furthermore, we discuss the strategies to counteract tumor cell immune evasion.
authors.affiliation: Department of Structural Biology, Hauptman-Woodward Institute, 700 Ellicott Street, Buffalo, NY 14203, USA.
authors.forename: Chien-Chung
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Soldano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ferrone
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006680:HLA Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007157:Immunologic Surveillance; D018448:Models, Immunological; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*; D019139:Tumor Escape
chemical_list: D006680:HLA Antigens