title: Negative immune factors might predominate local tumor immune status and promote carcinogenesis in cervical carcinoma.
abstract: The disequilibrium of local immune microenvironment is an essential element during tumorigenesis.
  
  
  
  By conducting real-time polymerase chain reaction, we identified the mRNA level of immune factors, FoxP3 (forkhead box protein P3), CCL22/CCR4 (chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 22/CC chemokine receptor 4), OX40L/OX40 (tumor necrosis factor superfamily member 4/tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily member 4) and Smad3 (SMAD family member 3) in neoplastic foci and its periphery tissues from 30 cases of squamous cervical carcinoma and 20 cases of normal cervix.
  
  
  
  The FoxP3, CCL22 and CCR4 mRNA level in local immune microenvironment of normal cervix was lower than that in cervical cancer. While OX40L, OX40 and Smad3 mRNA level profile in normal cervix was higher than that in cervical cancer. Beyond individual effect, the pairwise positive correlations were demonstrated among the mRNA level of FoxP3, CCL22 and CCR4. The mRNA level of OX40 negatively correlated with CCL22, but positively correlated with Smad3. Moreover, the mRNA level of FoxP3 and CCL22 was increased while Smad3 was decreased in cervical tissue with HPV (human papilloma virus) infection.
  
  
  
  Our data yields insight into the roles of these immune factors in cervical carcinogenesis. It may therefore be that, in microenvironment of cervical squamous cell carcinoma, along with the context of HPV infection, negative immune regulators FoxP3, CCL22 and CCR4 might overwhelm positive immune factors OX40L, OX40 and Smad3, giving rise to an immunosuppressive status and promote the progression of cervical carcinogenesis.
  
  
  
  Not applicable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 West Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710061, China.
authors.forename: Minyi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Hongran
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Shimin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cao
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Meili
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pei
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Sijuan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yang
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
authors.forename: Yanping
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 277 West Yanta Road, Xi'an, 710061, China. yxf73@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiaofeng
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D063646:Carcinogenesis / Q000276:immunology*; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D008875:Middle Aged; D030361:Papillomavirus Infections / Q000150:complications; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D007155:Immunologic Factors; D012333:RNA, Messenger
keywords: Cervical cancer; Immune factors; Immune microenvironment