title: Spontaneous high-titered IgG antibody responses against BCL-2 in patients with aggressive lymphomas.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Molecules which are exclusively or preferentially expressed by malignant cells are potential targets for immunotherapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  We therefore tested serum samples of 95 patients with aggressive B-cell lymphomas for antibodies against lymphoma-associated molecules using SEREX for antibodies against BCL-2, BCL-XL, MCL-1, survivin, BCL-6, CD20, LM02, PDE4B, cyclin-D2, actinin-alpha1, SCYA3, PKCbeta2, E2IG3, and HGAL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One patient had low-titered (1:100) antibodies against PKCbeta2. Antibodies against BCL-2 were detected in the sera of five patients (5.3%), with responses found more frequently in follicular lymphoma grade 3 (3/26 or 11.5%) than in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (2/67 or 3%). Anti-BCL-2 antibodies were of the IgG class and titers ranged from 1:1,000 to 1:100,000 with highest titers before treatment and decreasing slowly during remission.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The spontaneous immunogenicity of BCL-2 makes this molecule a prime candidate for vaccine approaches in BCL-2 positive B-cell lymphomas.
authors.affiliation: Innere Medizin I, Jose-Carreras Center for Immuno- and Genetherapy, Saarland University Medical School Homburg, 66421 Homburg, Saar, Germany. carsten.zwick@uniklinikum-saarland.de
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Zwick
authors.forename: Gerhard
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Held
authors.forename: Vera
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Hammermeister
authors.forename: Adnan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alahmad
authors.forename: Boris
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kubuschok
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bittenbring
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahlgrimm
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Klaus-Dieter
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Preuss
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pfreundschuh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D001323:Autoantibodies; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2