title: Human leukocyte antigen-E alleles and expression in patients with serous ovarian cancer.
abstract: Human leukocyte antigen-E (HLA-E) is one of the most extensively studied non-classical MHC class I molecules that is almost non-polymorphic. Only two alleles (HLA-E*0101 and HLA-E*0103) are found in worldwide populations, and suggested to be functional differences between these variants. The HLA-E molecule can contribute to the escape of cancer cells from host immune surveillance. However, it is still unknown whether HLA-E gene polymorphisms might play a role in cancer immune escape. To explore the association between HLA-E alleles and the susceptibility to serous ovarian cancer (SOC), 85 primary SOC patients and 100 healthy women were enrolled. Here, we indicated that high frequency of HLA-E*0103 allele existed in SOC patients by the allele-specific quantitative real-time PCR method. The levels of HLA-E protein expression in SOC patients with the HLA-E*0103 allele were higher than those with the HLA-E*0101 allele using immunohistochemistry analysis. The cell surface expression and functional differences between the two alleles were verified by K562 cells transfected with HLA-E*0101 or HLA-E*0103 allelic heavy chains. The HLA-E*0103 allele made the transfer of the HLA-E molecule to the cell surface easier, and HLA-E/peptides complex more stable. These differences ultimately influenced the function of natural killer cells, showing that the cells transfected with HLA-E*0103 allele inhibited natural killer cells to lysis. This study reveals a novel mechanism regarding the susceptibility to SOC, which is correlated with the HLA-E*0103 allele.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.|Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zheng
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.|Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Renquan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.|Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Suhong
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xuemei
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Hongling
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.|Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Shanghai Cancer Center, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.|Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People / Q000235:genetics; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005787:Gene Frequency; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D020014:K562 Cells; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000378:metabolism; D008875:Middle Aged; D010051:Ovarian Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D000097625:HLA-E Antigens
chemical_list: D015395:Histocompatibility Antigens Class I; D000097625:HLA-E Antigens
keywords: Allele; human leukocyte antigen-E; natural killer cells; serous ovarian cancer; thermal stability