Immune effectors

Gene Therapeutic Strategies that Act via Host Immune Effector Mechanisms.283... 

Filion, M.C., and Philips, N.C., Toxicity and immunomodulatory activity of liposomal vectors formulated with cationic lipids toward immune effector cells, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1997, 1329, 345-356. 

Most transformed cells do not express class II MHC molecules and express lower than normal levels of class I MHC molecules. This renders their detection by immune effector cells more difficult. Treatment with cytokines, such as IFN-y, can induce increased class I MHC expression, which normally promotes increased tumour cell susceptibility to immune destruction. 

Scallon, BJ. et al., Chimericanti- TNF-a monoclonal antibody cA2 binds recombinant transmembrane TNF-a and activates immune effector functions, Cytokine, 7, 251,1995. 

Figure 8.3. Schematic representation of bispecific antobody mediated tumor cell recognition by an immune effector cell. Summarised are effector cell types, trigger molecules and tumor associated antigens used as a targed as reported in the literature. From reference [37].

IL-12-stimulated IFN-y production and NK cell activation further potentates the overall immune response, not only to infectious agents but also against transformed cells. Cytotoxic T cells and NK cells represent two of the most important immune effector functions against cancer. IL-12-mediated immunological activity also renders this cytokine a potentially... 

In 1961 it was reported that human leukocytes were capable of producing IFN in response to viral infections [8,9]. This viral stimulation of white blood cells was initially used to produce leukocyte IFN for clinical applications. Identification of a number of varied IFN inducers such as mycoplasma or other microorganisms in cell cultures, lipopolysaccharides (LPS, derived from bacteria membranes), tumor-derived or virus-transformed cells, and synthetic chemical compounds such as polyanions and poly I C (poly inosine-cytosine) suggested that different IFN mixtures could be derived from interaction of various inducing agents and appropriate target cells [10-16]. Another pH-labile, nonvirus-induced IFN termed immune-IFN (induced by immune effector cells) was discovered in 1965. It was produced by... 

IFNs are pleiotropic cellular modulators. Antitumor effects are postulated to result from either a direct effect on functional capacity or antigenic composition of tumor cells, or from an indirect effect on the modulation of immune effector cell populations that interact with tumor cells. IFNs regulate gene expression, modulate expression of proteins on the cell surface, and activate enzymes that modulate cellular growth. On... 

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