Purpose MHC class I chain related-proteins A (MICA) and B (MICB) are natural killer group 2D ligands that mediate tumor surveillance. Several studies have suggested that MICA/B levels predict clinical outcomes in patients with cancer; however, this remains contentious. Here, we present a systematic review and meta-analysis of available studies of the prognostic value of MICA/B in cancer. Mate...

MICA and MICB (MHC-class-I-related chain A/B) are transmembrane proteins expressed in pathological conditions that are ligands for NKG2D, an activating receptor found on cytotoxic lymphocytes. The recognition on target cells of NKG2D ligands leads to the activation of lysis and cytokine secretion by NK cells and T cells. Besides being expressed at the cell surface, MICA/B can be released as sol...

With the aim of clarifying the role of several polymorphisms around the HLA-C locus in the clinical expression of PsA, the distribution of several polymorphic markers and genes located around the HLA-C locus was analyzed in a well-established cohort of 110 patients with PsA, 50 patients with psoriasis alone, and 110 healthy controls. The frequency of these genes was also analyzed by PsA articul...

Chronic myeloid leukemia is a neoplasia resulting from a translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 producing the BCR-ABL hybrid known as the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph). In chronic myeloid leukemia a proliferation of malignant myeloid cells occurs in the bone marrow due to excessive tyrosine kinase activity. In order to maintain homeostasis, natural killer cells, by means of receptors, identi...

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are anticancer molecules that epigenetically modulate cell functions. Chronic exposure of HCT116 colon cancer cells to SAHA has been investigated for a better understanding of resistance mechanisms but, surprisingly, a less aggressive tumor phenotype both in vitro and in vivo was obtained after exposure to increasing concentrations of SAHA. Indeed, HCT116...

Ligands for receptors of natural killer (NK) cells and CD8(+) cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), such as the inhibitory nonclassical HLA-G, the activating stress-induced major histocompatibility complex class I-related antigens MICA and MICB, and/or the UL16-binding proteins (ULBPs), are often aberrantly expressed upon viral infection and neoplastic transformation, thereby preventing virus-infected...

Although natural killer (NK) cells are well known for their ability to kill tumors, few studies have addressed the interactions between resting (nonactivated) NK cells and freshly isolated human tumors. Here, we show that human leukocyte antigen class I(low) tumor cells isolated directly from patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma trigger degranulation by resting allogeneic NK cells. This was...

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis with potential for progression to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We compared natural killer (NK) cytolytic function in 48 MDS patients with 37 healthy donors and found reduced activity in the patient population (K562 cytolysis, 19% +/- 21% SD versus 40% +/- 17%) (P < .001). NK cytotoxicity in MDS patients was reduced ...

NKG2D is an activating receptor expressed on the surface of natural killer (NK) cells, CD8(+) T cells, and subsets of CD4(+) T cells, invariant NKT cells (iNKT), and γδ T cells. In humans, NKG2D transmits signals by its association with the DAP10 adapter subunit, and in mice alternatively spliced isoforms transmit signals either using DAP10 or DAP12 adapter subunits. Although NKG2D is encoded b...