BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The chemokine receptor CXCR3, involved in chemotaxis, is expressed on normal and malignant B cells and plasma cells. Recent data suggest that CXCR3-binding chemokines may also regulate proliferation and survival in endothelial cells through the interaction with two distinct isoforms of CXCR3 (CXCR3-A and CXCR3-B). DESIGN AND METHODS We evaluated the potential express...

Down-regulation of conventional human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II molecules from the surface of tumor cells is an important mechanism for tumor immune evasion, survival, and progression. Whether CD1d, a nonconventional, glycolipid-presenting HLA class I-like molecule instructing the function of the immunoregulatory invariant NKT cells can affect tumor cell survival is not known. Here...

Multiple myeloma remains an incurable disease. One of the major problems is that myeloma cells develop drug resistance on interaction with bone marrow stromal cells. In this study, we examined the effects of macrophages (Mvarphis), a type of stromal cells, on myeloma cell survival and response to chemotherapy. We showed that Mvarphi, in particular tumor-associated Mvarphi, is a protector of mye...

Side population (SP) cells in cancers, including multiple myeloma, exhibit tumor-initiating characteristics. In the present study, we isolated SP cells from human myeloma cell lines and primary tumors to detect potential therapeutic targets specifically expressed in SP cells. We found that SP cells from myeloma cell lines (RPMI 8226, AMO1, KMS-12-BM, KMS-11) express CD138 and that non-SP cells ...

BACKGROUND The histone deacetylase inhibitor ITF2357 has potent cytotoxic activity in multiple myeloma in vitro and has entered clinical trials for this disease. DESIGN AND METHODS In order to gain an overall view of the activity of ITF2357 and identify specific pathways that may be modulated by the drug, we performed gene expression profiling of the KMS18 multiple myeloma cell line treated w...

Tumor cell-derived heat shock proteins are used as vaccines for immunotherapy of cancer patients. However, current approaches require the generation of custom-made products and are clinically ineffective. To improve the applicability of heat shock protein-based immunotherapy in cancers and to enhance clinical efficacy, we explored combinational treatments in a myeloma setting using pooled heter...

Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the proliferation of neoplastic plasma cells in the bone marrow. Although the first-to-market proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (Velcade) has been successfully used to treat patients with myeloma, drug resistance remains an emerging problem. In this study, we identify signatures of bortezomib sensitivity and resistance by gene expressi...

Tumor cell–derived heat shock proteins are used as vaccines for immunotherapy of cancer patients. However, current approaches require the generation of custom-made products and are clinically ineffective. To improve the applicability of heat shock protein–based immunotherapy in cancers and to enhance clinical efficacy, we explored combinational treatments in a myeloma setting using pooled heter...