Brief Summary: In this study proposal the investigators will extend their previous studies and examine the kinetic cytotoxic activity with concordant expression of inhibitory natural killer NK receptors iNKR on activated T cells The inhibitory role of cytokines will be defined by utilizing the investigators previously established models of mixed lymphocytes and tumor cells coculture to analyze the expression and activity of cytokines involved in the regulation of iNKRs on cancer-encountered T cells
Detailed Description: In our extended studies we have directly examined the expressions of various inhibitory natural killer cell Receptors iNKRs on Tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes TILs derived from human Cervical cancer CC by triple-color flow cytometry with combination of different surface markers We found up-regulated expression of certain iNKRs CD94NKG2A in TILs and in mixed lymphocyte-cancer cell cocultures In our previous studies we demonstrated that certain cytokines including IL-10 TGF-beta Sheu et al Journal of Immunology 2001 1672972-2978 and IL-15 Sheu et al Cancer Research 2005 652921-2929 can be expressed by CC cells We further demonstrated that activated T cells bear iNKRs which inhibit cytotoxic activity iNKRs are proposed to restrain the T cell receptor TCR-mediated cytolysis We found that CC cells had altered HLA-A -B and -C molecules in a cancer microenvironment The acquisition of both NK-like activity and expression of iNKRs by these T cells is parallel to prevent damage to normal host cells However there is also limited knowledge about the regulatory role of iNKR expression in T cell cytotoxicity