title: Concomitant Increase of OX40 and FOXP3 transcripts in peripheral blood of patients with breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Regulatory T cells (T-regs) have an important role in cancer by suppression of protective antitumor immune responses. Regulatory T cells express the forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (FOXP3) and OX40 molecules which have important regulatory roles in the immune system.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate FOXP3 and OX40 transcripts in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells of women with breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood samples from 40 women with histologically-confirmed infiltrating ductal carcinoma of the breast and 40 healthy volunteer women without a history of malignancy or autoimmune disorders were collected. The abundance of FOXP3 and OX40 gene transcripts were determined by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR).
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a significant positive correlation between FOXP3 and OX40 gene expression in women with breast cancer in a stage dependent manner.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This finding emphasizes the importance of T-regs as predominant targets for breast cancer immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, akhodadadi@ajums.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hamidinia
authors.forename: Mehri
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ghafourian Boroujerdnia
authors.forename: Abdolhassan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Talaiezadeh
authors.forename: Ghasem
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Solgi
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taghdiri
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khodadadi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D044584:Carcinoma, Ductal / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D053262:Receptors, OX40 / Q000235:genetics*; D050378:T-Lymphocytes, Regulatory / Q000276:immunology*; D014158:Transcription, Genetic
chemical_list: C418974:FOXP3 protein, human; D051858:Forkhead Transcription Factors; D053262:Receptors, OX40; C505716:TNFRSF4 protein, human