Patent Application
20100008932
The present invention relates to the field of immunology and in particular the use of soluble CD160 for the suppression of unwanted immune response. Administration of soluble CD160 is in particular useful for the treatment of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disorder or a tissue or organ rejection. The present invention further relates to a method for screening an individual for the presence of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune diseases, tissue graft and organ rejection, or the presence of a tumor, or for monitoring therapy of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disorder or a tissue or organ rejection.
The immune system comprises both the innate immune system and the adaptative or acquired immune system.
The innate immune response is often referred to as a non specific one that controls an invading external noxient until the more specific adaptative immune system can marshal specific antibodies and T cells. The innate immune system includes, for example, natural killer (NK) cells, neutrophils and monocytes/macrophages. NK cells have been implicated in the killing of tumor cells and are essential in the response to viral infections. Another important mechanism of the innate immune system is the activation of cytokine mediators and chemiokines that alert other cells of the presence of infection.
The adaptative immune system comprises antibody-mediated immunity called humoral immunity and regulated by B cells, and cell-mediated immunity controlled by T cells. Both humoral and cell-mediated immunity participate in protecting the host from invading organisms. This interplay can result in effective killing or control of foreign organisms. In particular, CD8+ T cells, when recognizing an antigen bound to a MHC class I molecule, differentiate into cytotoxic T cells, expressing especially granzyme B and perforin, and are therefore able to kill the infected cells.
Occasionally, however, the immune system can become erratic, and this deregulation results in inflammatory conditions, such as autoimmune diseases and organ rejection.
Diverse cytotoxic agents are used in the treatment of an inflammatory condition such as autoimmune diseases and tissue graft or organ rejection, or graft versus host diseases, to depress the host's immune response to a foreign graft or immunogen, or the host's production of antibodies against “self”. For example, therapeutic agents having strong suppressive effect against T cells, such as cyclosporine or FK-506, anti-cytokine agents, anti-adhesion molecule agents, or various monoclonal antibodies, are used in these treatments.
The present invention aims to provide an alternative means for the suppression of an undesirable immune response and especially for the treatment of inflammatory conditions including autoimmune diseases and tissue graft or organ rejection.
Accordingly, the Applicant focused on the role of CD160 and especially soluble CD160.
CD160 is a multimeric glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored lymphocyte surface receptor which expression is mostly restricted to the highly cytotoxic CD56dimCD16+ peripheral blood subset in human. CD160 is also expressed in human by most of TCRγδ cells, a subset of TCRαβ CD8bright+ T cells and almost all intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (iIELs) (Maïza et al. J Exp Med 1993; 178:1121-6; Anumanthan et al. J Immunol. 1998, 161:2780-90]. It has previously been reported that MHC class I molecules bind to CD160 on circulating NK lymphocytes, and that their interaction triggers their cytotoxic activity and cytokine production [Le Bouteiller at al. PNAS 2002; 99(26):16963-8].
WO98/21240 disclosed the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences encoding human BY55, now called CD160, and methods to modulate, particularly to inhibit, expression or activity of CD160 in specific cells. Such methods comprise the administration of a nucleic acid encoding a competitor or an antagonist of CD160 to inhibit CD160 activity. For example, the CD160 domain responsible for its activity can be altered and the altered protein thus obtained can compete with the native CD160 to thereby inhibit its activity. An example of antagonist of CD160 is a nucleic acid capable of inhibiting translation of CD160.
More recently, Tsujimura et al. [Tsujimura et al. Immunology letter 2006, available online] prepared anti-murine CD160 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and demonstrated that murine CD160 is expressed on almost all iIELs and a minor subset of CD8+ T cells, as well as NK and NKT cells, as reported previously [Maïza et al. J Exp Med 1993; 178:1121-6; Anumanthan et al. J Immunol. 1998, 161:2780-90; Maeda et al. J Immunol 2005; 175:4426-32]. Tsujimura et al. also found that CD160 is preferentially expressed on memory CD8+ T cells. In addition, they showed that both CD8+ from the spleen and iIELs secrete soluble CD160 upon activation, but this was without any influence on the proliferative response of T cells induced by anti-CD3 mAb. Tsujimura et al. concluded from their study that murine CD160 so far do not seem to have a significant role in the function of CD8+ iIELs and T cells in the periphery, although it is a useful marker for antigen-experienced CD8+ T cells.
The Applicant made the unexpected following observation: the activation of an immune response, mediated both by the innate and the adaptative immune systems, leads to the release of a soluble form of CD160 from cells expressing CD160 such as for example NK cells, T cells, mast cells, or activated endothelial cells. This soluble form of CD160 can then bind to classical and non classical MHC class I molecules and CD1 molecules, resulting in the inhibition of the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells activity, of the CD160-mediated NK cell activity and of TCRγδ and NKT functions.
Therefore, the present invention relates to a means suppressing unwanted immune responses, said means being the soluble form of CD160. The present invention also relates to the use of said means for treating an inflammatory condition involving an undesirable immune response such as autoimmune diseases and tissue graft or organ rejection. The present invention relates also to the use of said means as a marker for the presence of an inflammatory condition or a tumor. The present invention further relates to method for screening a subject for an inflammatory condition, and method for monitoring therapy for an inflammatory condition. The present invention also relates to kits for carrying out such methods.
The present invention will be better understood with the following definitions.
The term “inflammatory condition” is known in the art and as used herein generally refers to any inflammatory cell mediated disease, including infectious (bacterial and viral) and autoimmune diseases. Infectious diseases generally refer to diseases caused by a virus or a bacterium. Examples of viruses causing an infectious disease include but are not limited to HIV-1 virus, herpes simplex, cytomegalovirus, Epstein-Barr virus, HTLV-1 leukaemia virus. Examples of bacterial infectious diseases include but are not limited to syphilis and tuberculosis. Autoimmune diseases generally refer to diseases in which the immune system is overactive and has lost the ability to distinguish between self and non self. Non-limiting examples of inflammatory diseases include allograft rejection, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, infectious arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, polychondritis, periarticular disorders, colitis, pancreatitis, system lupus erythematous, inflammatory bowel diseases, multiple sclerosis, conjunctivitis, diabetes, dermatitis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, asthma, systemic sclerosis, septic shock, allergies, anaphylaxis, systemic mastocytosis, and infectious diseases of the internal organs such as hepatitis or ulcers.
The term “inflammatory condition involving an unwanted immune response” generally refers to diseases in which the immune system is overactive and has lost the ability to distinguish between self and non self, such as autoimmune diseases or diseases where an immune response is not desired such as tissue graft and organ rejection, graft versus host diseases.
The term “antibody” is known in the art and as used herein generally refers to all types of immunoglobulins, including IgG, IgM, IgA, IgD, and IgE. The term “immunoglobulin” includes the subtypes of these immunoglobulins, such as IgG1, IgG2, IgG3 . . . . The antibodies may be of any species of origin, including for example mouse, rat, rabbit, horse, or human, or may be chimeric or humanized antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are produced in accordance with known techniques. The term “antibody” or “antibodies” as used herein includes antibody fragments which retain the capability of binding to a target antigen, for example, Fab, F(ab′)2, and Fv fragments, and the corresponding fragments obtained from antibodies other than IgG. Such fragments are also produced by known techniques.
The term “immunosuppressive agent” is known in the art and as used herein generally refers to a medication that slows or halts immune system activity. Immunosuppressive agents may be given to prevent the body from mounting an immune response after an organ transplant or for treating a disease that is caused by an overactive immune system. Immunosuppressive agents include but are not limited to substances that suppress cytokine production, downregulate or suppress self-antigen expression, or mask the MHC antigens. Examples of such agents are glucocorticolds, cytostatics, antibodies, drugs acting on immunophilins and interferons, opoids, TNF binding proteins. Such immunosuppressive agents include but are not limited to 2-amino-6-aryl-5-substituted pyrimidines, azathioprine (or cyclophosphamide), bromocryptine, glutaraldehyde, anti-idiotypic antibodies for MHC antigens and MHC fragments, cyclosporine A, steroids such as glucocorticosteroids (prednisone, methylprednisone, dexamethasone), cytokine and cytokine receptor antagonists including interferon-gamma, -beta, or -alpha antibodies, anti-tumor necrosis factor antibodies, anti-interleukine-2 antibodies and anti-IL-2 receptor antibodies, anti-L3T4 antibodies, heterologous anti-lymphocyte globulin, pan-T antibodies, preferably anti-CD3 or anti-CD4 antibodies, soluble peptide containing a LFA-3 binding domain, streptokinase, TGF-beta, streptodomase, FK506, RS-61443, deoxyspergualin, rapamycin, T cell receptor, T cell receptor fragments and T cell receptor antibodies such as T10B9. Preferably the immunosuppressive agent comprises cyclosporine A, FK506, rapamycin, steroids such as glucocorticosteroid (most preferably prednisone or methylprednisolone), cytostatics such as methotrexate, azathioprine, and monoclonal antibodies such as OKT3 or anti-TNF.
The term “graft” is known in the art and as used herein generally refers to biological material derived from a donor for transplantation into a recipient or host. Grafts include such diverse material as, for example, isolated cells such as islet cells and neural-derived cells, tissue such as the amniotic membrane of a newborn, bone marrow, hematopoietic precursor cells, and organs such as skin, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas, thyroid lobe, lung, kidney, tubular organs . . . . The graft is derived from any mammalian source, including human. In some embodiments, the graft is preferably bone marrow or an organ such as heart, kidney or liver.
The term “transplant” or “transplantation” is known in the art and as used herein generally refers to the insertion of a graft into a host, whether the transplantation is syngeneic (where the donor and recipient are genetically identical), allogeneic (where the donor and recipient are of different genetic origins but of the same species), or xenogeneic (where the donor and recipient are from different species). Typically, the host is human and the graft is an isograft, derived from a human of the same or different genetic origins.
By “individual”, it is meant mammal, in particular a human being.
As used herein, “treatment” or “treating” generally refers to a clinical intervention in an attempt to alter the natural course of the individual or cell being treated, and may be performed either for prophylaxis or during the course of clinical pathology. Desirable effects include, but are not limited to, preventing occurrence or recurrence of disease, alleviating symptoms, suppressing, diminishing or inhibiting any direct or indirect pathological consequences of the disease, preventing metastasis, lowering the rate of disease progression, ameliorating or palliating the disease state, and causing remission or improved prognosis.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a pharmaceutical composition comprising a soluble form of CD160.
“soluble form” as used herein include truncated form, which is one where the molecule has been cleaved at the GPI linkage, and any other form which has been deleted of amino acids residues that bind the protein to or into the cell membrane.
“soluble form of CD160” as used herein refers to the extracellular part of CD160 (amino acids 1 to 160, Genbank accession number AF060981 (human) or AF060982 (mouse)), and fragments and derivatives thereof.
The term “fragment” when referring to soluble CD160 means proteins which retain essentially the same biological function or activity as the protein CD160. This biological function or activity of the CD160 comprises the binding to a classical or non-classical MHC class I molecule or to a CD1 molecule. Therefore, for that function, fragments and derivatives of a soluble form of CD160 of the present invention maintain at least about 50% of the activity of the protein CD160, preferably at least 75% and more preferably at least 95%.
A soluble CD160 fragment or derivative may be (i) a peptide in which one or more of the amino acids residues are substituted with a conservative or non-conservative amino acid residue (preferably a conservative amino acid residue) and such substituted amino acid residue may or may not be one encoded by the genetic code, or (ii) a peptide in which one or more of the amino acids residues includes a substitute group, or (iii) a peptide in which the mature protein is fused with another compound, such as a compound to increase the half-life of the polypeptide (for example, polyethylene glycol). For example, a soluble form of CD160 may be used to form a fusion protein with an immunoglobulin.
In one embodiment of the invention, said pharmaceutical composition comprises a soluble form of CD160 in combination with at least one acceptable carrier and optionally other therapeutic ingredients.
The carrier(s) must be “acceptable” in the sense of being compatible with the others ingredients of the formulation and not deleterious to the recipient thereof.
According to the invention, said pharmaceutical composition includes those suitable for oral, rectal, nasal, topical and parenteral (including subcutaneous, intramuscular, intravenous, and intradermal) administration. Preferably, parenteral administration of said pharmaceutical composition is used. The formulations may conveniently be presented in unit dosage form such as tablets and sustained release capsules, and in liposomes or immunopastides, and may be prepared by any method well known in the art.
Pharmaceutical composition according to the invention and suitable for oral administration may be presented as discrete units such as capsules, microcapsules, cachets or tablets each containing a predetermined amount of the active ingredient, as a powder or granules, as a solution or a suspension in an aqueous liquid or non-aqueous liquid, or in colloidal drug delivery system (for example, liposomes, albumin microspheres, microemulsion, nano-particles and nanocapsules) or in macroemulsion. Such techniques are disclosed in Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences 16th edition, Osol, A. Ed. (1980).
Pharmaceutical composition according to the invention and suitable for parenteral administration include aqueous or non-aqueous sterile injection solutions which may comprise anti-oxidants, buffer, bacteriostats and solutes which render the formulation isotonic with the blood of the intended recipient; and aqueous or non-aqueous sterile suspensions which may include suspending agents and thickening agents. The formulations may be presented in unit-dose or multi-dose containers, for example sealed ampules and vials, and may be stored in a freeze dried (lyophilized) condition requiring only the addition of the sterile liquid carrier, for example water for injections, immediately prior to use. Extemporaneous injection solutions and suspensions may be prepared from sterile powders, granules and tablets.
Pharmaceutical composition according to the invention may also be administrated locally at the site of interest. Various techniques can be used for providing the pharmaceutical composition at the site of interest, such as injection, use of catheters, trocars, projectiles, pluronic gel, stents, sustained drug release polymers or other device which provides for internal access. Where an organ or tissue is accessible because of the removal from an individual, such organ or tissue may be bathed in a medium containing said pharmaceutical composition, the pharmaceutical composition may be painted onto the organ, or may be applied in any convenient way. Systemic administration using for example liposomes with tissue targeting such as an antibody may also be employed.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide said pharmaceutical composition comprising a soluble form of CD160 for treating an inflammatory condition involving an unwanted immune response, such as tissue graft or organ rejection, and autoimmune diseases.
Without wanting to be bound to any theory, the administration to an individual in need thereof of a pharmaceutical composition comprising a soluble form of CD160 should prevent the classical and non classical MHC class I molecules, and CD1 molecules to be recognized by cytotoxic CD8+ T cells, NK cells, NKT and TCRγδ cells, thereby resulting in the inhibition of the cytotoxic CD8+ T cells activity, of the CD160-mediated NK cell activity and of NKT and TCRγδ functions. This effect should result in the inhibition of the unwanted immune response.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, said pharmaceutical composition permits the treatment of organ rejection such as heart, kidney or liver rejection.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, said pharmaceutical composition permits the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus and inflammatory bowel diseases.
The present invention further relates to the use of a soluble form of CD160 for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for treating inflammatory conditions, including tissue graft or organ rejection, and autoimmune diseases.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to the use of a soluble form of CD160 for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for treating organ rejection such as heart, kidney or liver rejection.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention relates to the use of a soluble form of CD160 for the preparation of a pharmaceutical composition for treating inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Certain embodiments of this invention relate to combination therapies. In one embodiment, the pharmaceutical composition of the invention is used in combination with at least one immunosuppressive agent for treating inflammatory conditions. Preferably, said at least immunosuppresive agent comprises cyclosporine A, FK506, rapamycin, steroids such as glucocorticosteroid (most preferably prednisone or methylprednisolone), cytostatics such as methotrexate, azathioprine, and monoclonal antibodies such as OKT3 or anti-TNF.
Immunosuppressive agents are used in immunosuppressive therapy to inhibit or prevent activity of the immune system. They are capable of suppressing the cell mediated immunity and the humoral immunity and inhibiting various inflammatory events. The use of the pharmaceutical composition according to the invention in combination with said immunosuppressive agent should permit to suppress specifically the T and NK cells mediated response and therefore to enhance the beneficial effect of the immunosuppressive therapy.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a kit for treating an inflammatory condition comprising a pharmaceutical composition as described above and at least one immunosuppressive agent as described above.
In a preferred embodiment, the invention provides said kit for treating tissue graft or organ rejection.
The present invention relates to an in vitro method for screening the presence of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune diseases, tissue graft and organ rejection, or the presence of a tumor or activated endothelial cells, wherein a soluble CD160 is used as a marker
Indeed, the applicant observed that the activation of an immune response, mediated both by the innate and the adaptative immune systems, leads to the release of a soluble form of CD160 from cells expressing CD160 such as for example NK cells, T cells, mast cells, activated endothelial cells. Therefore, the presence of high level of soluble CD160 in a biological sample from an individual should indicate the presence of an immune response, which can be observed in infectious and autoimmune diseases, in tissue graft or organ rejection and in the presence of a tumor or activated endothelial cells.
The present invention relates to an in vitro method for monitoring therapy of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disorder or a tissue or organ rejection or for monitoring the presence of a tumor during chemotherapy including treatment with an anti-angiogenic substance or antibody, wherein a soluble CD160 is used as a marker.
The treatment of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disease or a tissue or organ rejection can thus be monitored by the level of soluble CD160. The presence of high level of soluble CD160 in a biological sample from an individual treated with an immunosuppressive agent should indicate that the unwanted immune response is not suppressed. In the same way, the treatment of a tumor with chemotherapy including treatment with an anti-angiogenic substance or antibody can be monitored y the level of soluble CD160. The presence of high level of soluble CD160 in a biological sample from an individual treated against a tumor should indicate that the tumor is still present and capable to induce an immune response.
In a preferred embodiment, said methods described above are used for screening or for monitoring therapy of an organ rejection such as heart, kidney or liver rejection.
In a preferred embodiment, said methods described above are used for screening or for monitoring therapy of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus and inflammatory bowel diseases.
Level of soluble CD160 can be detected in a biological sample from an individual and compared to the level of soluble CD160 from a healthy control population. The level of soluble CD160 from a control population generally refers to the average level of soluble CD160 from a plurality of individuals without an inflammatory condition, a tissue graft or organ rejection or a tumor.
Suitable biological samples for measuring soluble CD160 levels include for example blood (including whole blood, plasma and serum), urine, cerobrospinal fluid, joint effusion, ascites, amniotic fluid. Serum is preferably used as a biological sample.
The presence of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune diseases, of tissue graft or organ rejection, or of a tumor or activated endothelial cells can be determined based on the level of soluble CD160 relative to the control population. Thus, it is determined if the level of soluble CD160 is increased, similar or decreased compared to the one observed in the control population. An increase in soluble CD160 level relative to that of the control population is indicative of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune condition, of a tissue graft or organ rejection or of the presence of a tumor or activated endothelial cells. Additional factors that can be considered when diagnosing such disorders include for example patient history, family history, genetic factors.
The level of soluble CD160 in an individual also can be used to monitor treatment, such as treatment for said inflammatory conditions or chemotherapy including treatment with an anti-angiogenic substance or antibody. Typically, the individual baseline's level of soluble CD160 is obtained before treatments and compared to the level of soluble CD160 at various time points after or between treatments, for example one or more days, weeks, or months after treatment). A decrease in soluble CD160 level relative to the baseline level is indicative of a positive response to treatment.
Soluble CD160 can be detected for example by immunological assays using one or more antibodies. In these assays, an antibody having a specific binding affinity for soluble CD160 or a secondary antibody that binds to such an antibody can be labelled, either directly or indirectly. Suitable labels include, without limitation, radionuclides (such as 125I,131I, 35S, 3H, 3P, 33P or 14C), fluorescent moieties (such as fluorescein, FITC, PerCP, rhodamine, Alexa, or PE), luminescent moieties (such as Qdot™ nanoparticles supplied by the Quantum Dot Corporation, Palo Alto), compounds that adsorb light of a defined wavelength, or enzymes (such as alkaline phosphatise or horseradish peroxidise). Antibodies can be indirectly labelled by conjugation with biotin then detected with avidin or streptavidin labelled with a molecule described above. Methods for detecting or quantifying a label depend on the nature of the label and are known in the art. Examples of detectors include, but are not limited to, x-ray film, radioactivity counters, scintillation counters, spectrophotometers, colorimeters, fluorometers, luminometers, and densitometers. Combinations of these approaches (including “multilayer” assays) familiar to those in the art can be used to enhance the sensitivity of assays.
Immunological assays for detecting soluble CD160 can be performed in a variety of known formats, including sandwich assays, competitions assays or bridge immunoassays.
In one embodiment, said in vitro methods for screening the presence of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune diseases, tissue graft and organ rejection, or the presence of a tumor or activated endothelial cells, or for monitoring therapy of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disorder or a tissue or organ rejection comprise:
In a preferred embodiment, said ligand comprises an antibody that binds to soluble CD160 or one of CD160 receptors such as classical or non classical MHC class I molecules or CD1 molecules.
In one embodiment, said ligand having a specific binding affinity for soluble CD160 can be immobilized on a solid substrate by any variety of methods known in the art and exposed to the biological sample. The binding of soluble CD160 to the ligand on the solid substrate can be detected by exploiting the phenomenon of surface plasmon resonance, which results in a change in the intensity of surface plasmon resonance upon binding that can be detected qualitatively or quantitatively by an appropriate instrument, such as a Bioacore apparatus (BIAcore International AB, Rapsgatan, Sweden). Alternatively, the ligand can be labelled and detected as described above. A standard curve using known quantities of soluble CD160 can be generated to aid in the quantification of soluble CD160 level.
In another embodiment, a “sandwich” assay in which a capture antibody is immobilized on a solid substrate is used to detect the level of soluble CD160. The capture antibody includes, but is not limited to, an antibody that binds to soluble CD160 or a recombinant antibody comprising a Fc fragment or immunoglobulin constant region and a soluble human classical or non classical MHC class I or human CD1.
The solid substrate can be contacted with the biological sample such that any soluble CD160 in the sample can bind to the immobilized antibody. The level of soluble CD160 bound to the antibody can be determined using a “detection” antibody having a specific binding affinity for soluble CD160 and the methods described above. It is understood that in these sandwich assays, the capture antibody should not bind to the same epitope (or range of epitopes in the case of a polyclonal antibody) as the detection antibody. Sandwich assays can be performed as sandwich ELISA assays, sandwich Western blotting assays, or sandwich immunomagnetic detection assays.
Suitable solid substrates to which an antibody such as a capture antibody, can be bound include, but are not limited to, microtiter plates, tubes, membranes such as nylon or nitrocellulose membranes, and beads or particles such as agarose, cellulose, glass, polystyrene, polyacrylamide, magnetic, or magnetisable beads or particles). Magnetic or magnetisable particles can be particularly useful when an automated immunoassay system is used.
Alternative techniques for detecting soluble CD160 include mass-spectrophotometric techniques such as electrospray ionization (ESI), matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization (MALDI). Mass spectrophotometers useful for such applications are available from Applied Biosystems, Bruker Daltronics and Amersham Pharmacia.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the level of soluble CD160 is detected using a monoclonal antibody.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the level of soluble CD160 is detected using a capture antibody and a detection antibody, wherein said detection antibody comprises a label. Said capture antibody is preferably attached to a solid substrate, said solid substrate comprises a bead or a microtiter plate.
The present invention also relates to a kit for detecting soluble CD160 from a biological sample, for screening the presence of an inflammatory condition such as infectious and autoimmune diseases, tissue graft and organ rejection, or the presence of a tumor or activated endothelial cells, or for monitoring therapy of an inflammatory condition such as an autoimmune disorder or a tissue or organ rejection, or for monitoring the presence of a tumor during chemotherapy including treatment with an anti-angiogenic substance or antibody,said kit comprising:
The invention will be further described in the following examples, which do not limit the scope of the invention described in the claims.
RT-PCR was done using standard procedure and specific primers for β actin and CD160. mRNA from cell lines and peripheral leukocytes were purified using the Trizol reagent technique. HMC-1 cells as well as peripheral basophils from a healthy donor display CD160 mRNA expression, with the two alternatively spliced short and long transcripts of 339 and 665 base pair, respectively. A similar expression is found in PBL and NK cells from healthy donors and in NK92 cells. As negative controls, Cos and Jurkat cells do not show CD160 expression.
CD160 immunoprecipitation was done in HMC-1 cells lysate and supernatant, as well as in supernatant of human mast cells grown in culture, from CD34+ pluripotent progenitor derived from cord blood (CB-MC) or cytapheresis (C-MC) of healthy donors. Following protein separation, immunoblotting was performed using the Tm60 monoclonal antibody and a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody. A specific 83 kD immunoprecipitate is found in the supernatant of both HMC-1 cells and CD34+ progenitor cells derived human mast cells, indicating that these cells produce soluble CD160.
Standard immunohistochemical detection of CD160 and mast cell tryptase was done with the avidin biotin-peroxydase technique, using Tm60 monoclonal antibody (CL1-R2) (A, C, E) and (B, D, F). For immunofluorescent tests, secondary biotinylated anti-mouse IgG antibodies and fluoroisothiocyanate conjugated streptavidine were used (G, H). In normal skin and accessory salivary gland paraffin embedded tissue sections, mast cells are strongly stained with anti-CD160 monoclonal antibodies (A, C, arrows). In the skin, they are located in the papillary dermis and around dermal capillaries of the mid and deep dermis (A). In salivary gland, they are seen around the salivary ducts and acini (C). In both skin and salivary gland, mast cells are characterized morphologically and by mast cell tryptase expression (B, D). HMC-1 cells strongly express CD160, especially within cytoplasmic granules (E), as well as mast cell tryptase (F). Using immunofluorescent tests, mast cells from cutaneous mastocytosis (G) and HMC-1 cells (H) display strong granular expression of CD160 (arrows).
(Magnifications: A,B,C,D,E,F ×200; G,H: ×400)
Materials and Methods
Cells
PBMC were isolated from heparinized venous blood obtained from healthy donors, by density gradient centrifugation over MSL (PAA Laboratories, Les Mureaux, France). Fresh PB-NK cells were isolated using a magnetic-activated cell sorter (MACS) and a NK cell isolation kit according to the manufacturers' recommendations (Miltenyi Biotec, Bergish-Gladbach, Germany). PB-NK cell purity was shown to be >90%. The selection of in vitro allogeneic-MHC class I-restricted effector T lymphocytes was performed as previously reported (Bensussan, A., B. Tourvieille, L-K. Chen, J. Dausset, and M. Sasportes. 1985. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82: 6642-6646.). Briefly, PBMC were co-cultured for 6 days with irradiated EBV-transformed B cells in RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with penicillin (100 IU/ml), streptomycin (100 μg/ml), L-glutamine (2 mM), and 10% heat-inactivated human serum (Jacques Boy Institute, Lyon, France). At day 6 of the mixed lymphocyte culture, the CD8+ population was isolated using CD8+ microbeads according to the manufacturer's instructions (Miltenyi Biotec). Cells were then extensively washed and cultured overnight at 37° C., and further tested as effector cells against the specific allogeneic EBV-B target cell line in lymphocyte-mediated cytotoxicity assays. CD8+ cells represented more than 90% of the isolated lymphocyte population. To separate the CD56dim and CD56bright PB-NK cell populations, PB-NK cells were stained with an anti-CD56 PE-conjugated mAb and sorted using an ELITE cell sorter (Beckman-Coulter, Miami, Fla.).
All cell lines used in this study were cultured in standard culture medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS; Perbio Science, Brebières, France). The 721.221-HLACw3 stable transfectants (221-Cw3, kindly provided by Dr Philippe Le Bouteiller, INSERM U563, Toulouse, France) were obtained by transfection of 721.221 cells (221) with a HLA-Cw3 coding vector.
Antibodies and Flow Cytometry
The antibodies used in this study were the following: anti-Flag M2 mAb (Sigma, St Quentin Fallavier, France), rabbit anti-GPI-phospholipase D (Caltag laboratories, Burlingame, Calif.), anti-CD56 mAb (Beckman-Coulter, Marseille, France), and anti-CD160 mAb (BY55 (IgM) and CL1-R2 (IgG1), produced locally). Irrelevant isotype-matched antibodies were used as negative controls. FITC- or PE-conjugated goat anti-mouse IgG or IgM (Beckman-Coulter), or coat anti-rabbit IgG (Caltag laboratories) were utilized as secondary reagents. Cells were phenotyped by indirect i munofluorescence. Briefly, the cells were incubated with the specific mAb for 30 min at 4° C., washed twice in PBS, and further incubated with the appropriated FITC- or PE-labeled secondary antibodies. After washing, cells were analyzed by flow cytometry on an EPICS XL apparatus (Beckman-Coulter). For intracellular staining, the cells were permeabilized in saponin buffer (PBS/0.1% BSA/0.1% saponin) (Sigma) prior to staining, and all subsequent steps were performed in saponin buffer, as described above.
For soluble CD160 (sCD160) binding assays, COS7 cells were transfected with an expression vector coding for a Flag-tagged soluble CD160 protein. Following cell recovery, several dilutions of COS7 cell culture medium, corresponding to concentrations of sCD160 ranging from 0.5 to 10 μg/ml were tested for their ability to label HLA-Cw3 expressing cells. Typically, 105 221-Cw3 cells were incubated with 50 μl of sCD160-Flag containing supernatant in a 96 well round-bottomed plate. Culture medium obtained from COS7 cells transfected with an empty vector was used as negative control. After 1 h at 37° C., cells were washed and fixed in PBS containing 2% paraformaldehyde for 20 min at 4° C. Cells were then washed twice, incubated with the anti-Flag M2 mAb for 20 min at 4° C., and stained with FITC-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibodies. After washes, the cells were analyzed using an XL flow cytometer (Beckman-Coulter).
Inhibition of the GPI-Anchored CD160 Cleavage
The phospholipase inhibitors U73122, U73343 and 1,10 phenanthroline (1,10 PNT) were purchased from Sigma. 3×105/ml PB-NK cells were cultured for 72 h in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% heat-inactivated human serum, penicillin/streptomycin, L-glutamine and IL-15 (10 ng/ml; PeproTech, Levallois-Perret, France). The cells were then washed and incubated for 8-12 h at 37° C. in IL-15 containing medium alone, or supplemented with 1,10 PNT (10 μM), U73122 (2 μM) or U73343 (2 μM). U73343, an inactive analog of U73122, was used as negative control. After two washes in PBS, cells were processed for CD160 immunostaining and flow cytometry analysis.
RNA Extraction, Reverse Transcription and cDNA Amplification (RT-PCR)
Total RNA was isolated using the Trizol reagent according to the manufacturer's instructions (Invitrogen, Cergy Pontoise, France). For each reverse transcription, 5 μg of RNA were used. Reverse transcription was performed using 500 ng of an oligo-dT primer (Invitrogen) and the Powerscript reverse transcriptase (Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.) in a total volume of 20 μl. Specific primers for the amplification of CD160 and GPI-PLD1 variant 1 and 2 cDNA were designed on the basis of published sequences (Anumanthan, A., A. Bensussan, L. Boumsell, A. D. Christ, R. S. Blumberg, S. D. Voss, A. T. Patel, M. J. Robertson, L. M. Nadler, and G. J. Freeman. 1998. J. Immunol. 161: 2780-2790; Schofield, J. N., and T. W. Rademacher. 2000. Biochim. Biophys. Acta. 1494: 189-194.). The CD160 primers were as follows: 5′-TGCAGGATGCTGTTGGAACCC-3′ (forward, SEQ ID no1) and 5′-CCTGTGCCCTGTTGCATTCTTG-3′ (reverse, SEQ ID no2). The primer sequences for the cDNA amplification of GPI-PLD1 variant 1 were 5′-ATGGATGGCGTGCCTGACCTGGCC-3 (forward, SEQ ID no3) and 5′-CAGCGGTGGCTGCAGGTCGGATGT-3′ (reverse, SEQ ID no4), and 5′-GTGTTGGACTTTAACGTGGACGGC-3′ (forward, SEQ ID no5) and 5′-CAGCAGAGGCTGCGCGTCAGATAT-3′ (reverse, SEQ ID no6) for the GPI-PLD1 variant 2. β actin cDNA amplification was performed in parallel as internal control. The synthesis of specific cDNA fragments was achieved by using 1 μl of the reverse-transcribed product according to a standard procedure (Invitrogen), in a total volume of 20 μl. Each sample was subjected to denaturation (94° C., 30 sec), annealing (60° C., 30 sec), and extension (72° C., 90 sec) steps for 35 cycles. The amplified products were separated on a 1% agarose gel.
Production and Quantification of Soluble CD160-Flag
A cDNA encoding a C-terminal Flag (DYKDDDK)-tagged soluble CD160 (sCD160-Flag) was generated by PCR amplification of the sequence corresponding to amino-acids 1-160 of CD160 with the following primers: 5′-TGCAGGATGCTGTTGGAACCC-3′ (forward, SEQ ID no1) and 5′-TCACTTGTCATCGTCGTCCTTGTAGTCGCCTGAACTGAGAGTGCCTTC-3′ (Flag-reverse, SEQ ID no7). After purification, the resulting PCR product was ligated into the pcDNA3 expression vector (Invitrogen), and the construct double-strand sequenced.
COS7 cells were transiently transfected with the pcDNA3 vector, or sCD160-Flag expression vector, using the DEAE-dextran method, and subsequently cultured for 72 h in serum free RPMI 1640 medium supplemented with L-glutamine and antibiotics. An ELISA was developed to detect the produced sCD160-Flag protein in the cell culture medium, as previously performed for the quantification of soluble CD100 (Delaire, S., C. Billard, R. Tordjman, A. Chedotal, A. Elhabazi, A. Bensussan, and L. Boumsell. 2001. J. Immunol. 166: 4348-4354). Briefly, the anti-Flag M2 mAb (5 μg/well) was coated in a 96-well plate (MaxiSorp, Nunc, CliniSciences, Montrouge, France) overnight at 4° C. All subsequent steps were performed at 4° C. Following saturation with PBS/1% BSA for 4 h, the sCD160-Flag containing medium of transfected COS7 cells was added for 2 h. After extensive washes with PBS/1% BSA, the anti-CD160 (CL1-R2)-biotinylated mAb (diluted in PBS/1% BSA) was added. After washes and incubation with streptavidin-alkaline phosphatase, the revelation step was performed using the pNpp liquide substrate system for ELISA (Sigma). After 1 h incubation in the dark, at room temperature, the absorbance was measured at 405 nm using a plate reader spectrophotometer (Packard, Downers Grove, Ill.). A standard curve was realized using purified sCD160-Flag protein. To this aim, sCD160-Flag was immunoprecipitated from transfected COS7 culture medium using CL1-R2 mAb coupled to protein G-Sepharose beads (Amersham Biosciences, Orsay, France) and eluted in 2 mM glycine-HCl pH 2.8. After neutralization, a second immunoprecipitation step was performed with agarose-coupled anti-Flag mAb (Sigma). sCD160-Flag was finally eluted in 2 mM glycine-HCl pH 2.8. The eluate was neutralized, submitted to dialysis in PBS, and concentrated (Centricon, Millipore, Bedford, Mass.). The protein concentration was then estimated on a silver-stained gel by comparison with known quantities of BSA.
Immunoprecipitation and Immunoblotting
Culture medium (10 ml) from transfected COS7 cells was incubated with 5 μg of anti-Flag M2 mAb for 1 h 30 at 4° C., and immune complexes were collected with 20 μl of Protein G-Sepharose beads. Alternatively, 2×107 control or IL-15-activated PB-NK lymphocytes were cultured for 24-48 h in 10 ml of RPMI 1640 medium without serum. Culture supernatants were collected and incubated with CL1-R2 mAb (10 μg per test) followed by protein G-Sepharose beads. After washes, the precipitated proteins were separated by SDS-8% PAGE. The proteins were then transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane and subjected to Western blot analysis using the anti-CD160 (CL1-R2, 5 μg/ml) or anti-Flag M2 (5 μg/ml) mAb. HRP-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibodies (Jackson Immunoresearch, Westgrove, Pa.) were used as secondary antibodies, and the immunoreactive proteins were visualized using an ECL kit (Amersham Biosciences).
Lymphocyte Mediated Cytotoxicity.
The lymphocyte cytotoxicity was tested in a 51Cr-release assay. Target cells were labeled with 100 μCi of Na51CrO4 for 90 min at 37° C., and washed three times in RPMI 1640 medium containing 10% FCS. The target cells were then plated in 96-well V-bottomed microtiter plates (Greiner, Essen, Germany) for 1 h at 37° C. When necessary, the cells were subjected to a pre-incubation step with 50 μl of culture medium from COS7 cells transfected with pcDNA3 or sCD100-Flag expression vector. The effector cells were then added in a final volume of 150 μl per well. Assays at various E:T cell ratios on 103 target cells were performed in triplicate. After 4 h of culture at 37° C., the plates were spun down and 100 μl of the cell supernatant were collected from each well. The determination of 51Cr release was done using a gamma-counter (Packard). The percentage of specific lysis was determined as previously reported (Maiza, H., G. Leca, I. G. Mansur, V. Schiavon, L. Boumsell, and A. Bensussan. 1993. J. Exp. Med. 178: 1121-1126). The lysis was considered as significant when representing more than 10% of the maximum level of cell lysis.
Cell Lines, Peripheral Blood Cells and Tissues
The HMC-1 mast cell line and the Cos, Jurkat and NK92 cell lines were cultured in RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS).
Human cord blood (CB-MC) and peripheral blood cytapheresis derived mast cells (C-MC) were obtained from CD34+ progenitors from healthy donors. Briefly, CD34+ progenitors from peripheral blood (cytapheresis) and cord blood were cultured in a mast cell culture medium, composed of α-minimal essential medium supplemented with FCS, bovine serum albumine, human recombinant stem cell factor and recombinant human IL-6. After more than 10 weeks in culture, more than 95% of the cells were identified as MCs according to their morphologic features.
Peripheral blood lymphocytes, natural killer cells (PB-NK cells) and basophils were isolated from peripheral blood of healthy donors. Briefly, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were isolated from heparinized venous blood by density gradient centrifugation over lymphoprep (PAA Laboratories, Linz, Austria). PB-NK cells and basophils were purified by using the magnetic-activated cell sorter (MACS) NK cell isolation kit and basophil isolation kit, respectively (Miltenyi Biotec, Auburn, Calif.), following manufacturer's instructions.
The formalin fixed, paraffin embedded skin and salivary tissue samples, including skin biopsy from a patient with cutaneous mastocytosis (urticaria pigmentosa), were retrieved from the archival files of the department of Pathology of our institution (hôpital Henri Mondor, Créteil, France).
RT-PCR Amplification of β-actin and CD160 mRNAs
Total RNA was extracted from 1 to 5×106 cells from cell lines and peripheral blood derived cells using the Trizol reagent (Invitrogen, Cergy-Pontoise, France) and chloroform/isopropanol precipitation. For reverse transcription, total mRNA (5-15 μg) was reverse transcribed by using oligo-dT primers and the Powerscript reverse transcriptase (RT Clontech, Palo Alto, Calif.).
PCR reactions were performed on 1 μg of total cDNA. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was performed using the following primers for CD160: forward (5′-TGCAGGATGCTGTTGGAACCC-3′, SEQ ID no1) and reverse (5′-CCTGTGCCCTGTTGCATTCTTC-3′, SEQ ID no2), flanking two 339 and 665 base pair segments from the two alternatively spliced short and long transcripts of CD160. RT-PCR for β-actin, used as a positive control, was done with previously reported primers, allowing amplification of a 245 base pair segment.
Western Blotting
Culture supernatants and cell lysates from HMC-1 cells and supernatants from CB-MC and C-MC were collected and incubated with Tm60 mAb (10 μg per test) followed by protein G-sepharose beads. After washes, the precipitated proteins were separated by SDS-8% PAGE. The proteins were then transferred onto a nitrocellulose membrane and subjected to Western blot analysis using the anti-CD160 (CL1-R2) moAb, allowing detection of a specific 83 kD immunoprecipitate, or an isotypic control moAb. The anti-CD160 Tm60 moab was raised and produced in our laboratory and used as purified ascites fluid. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated goat anti-mouse antibodies (Jackson Immunoresearch, Westgrove, USA) were used as secondary antibodies, and the immunoreactive proteins were visualized using a chemiluminescence kit (Amersham Biosciences).
Immunohistochemistry
For immunostaining procedures on tissue samples, 3 micrometer-thick sections were applied on Superfrost plus slides (CML, Angers, France) and deparaffinized in xylene before use. For immunostaining procedure on HMC-1 cells, 2×105 cells were applied to Superfrost plus slides by centrifugation using a Shandon cytospin 4 centrifuge (Thermo electron corporation, Waltham, Mass.), air dried and fixed in aceton. Primary moAbs to CD160 (CL1-R2) and mast cell tryptase (Dako SA, Glostrup, Denmark) were used at a 1:50 and 1:100 dilution, respectively. In tissue sections, moAbs were applied after rehydratation and antigen retrieval by heat in citrate buffer. The immunostaining procedure was performed using a biotin/avidine system conjugated to peroxydase (Vectastain ABC-P kit from Vector, Burlingame, USA). The peroxydase reaction was revealed by diaminobenzidine (Sigma-Aldrich, Saint Quentin Fallavier, France) and sections were counterstained in blue with hematoxylin. For immunofluorescent stainings, secondary biotinylated anti-mouse IgG antibodies and fluoroisothiocyanate conjugated streptavidine were used.
Results
CD160 Membrane Expression is Decreased in IL-15 Cultured PB-NK Lymphocytes
Initial findings revealed a loss of BY55/CD160 cell surface expression on NK cells treated with PMA (Maiza, H., G. Leca, I. G. Mansur, V. Schiavon, L. Boumsell, and A. Bensussan. 1993. J. Exp. Med. 178: 1121-1126). More recently, we reported that NK lymphocytes cultured in the presence of IL-2 exhibit a decreased cell surface reactivity towards an anti-CD160 mAb, when compared to untreated cells (Le Bouteiller, P., A. Barakonyi, J. Giustiniani, F. Lenfant, A. Marie-Cardine, M. Aguerre-Girr, M. Rabot, I. Hilgert, F. Mami-Chouaib, J. Tabiasco, L. Boumsell, and A. Bensussan. 2002. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 16963-16968). Similar CD160 immunolabelings were performed on highly purified PB-NK cells consisting in CD56dimCD160+ and CD56bright CD160− lymphocyte subsets in a 9/1 ratio (
Membrane-Bound CD160 is Cleaved Through a Metalloprotease-Dependent Process
The release of membrane-bound proteins under a soluble form, mediated through a proteolytic cleavage, has been reported for various molecules (McGeehan, G. M., J. D. Becherer, R. C. Bast, Jr., C. M. Boyer, B. Champion, et al. 1994. Nature. 370: 558-561; Salih, H. R., H. G. Rammensee, and A. Steinle. 2002. J. Immunol. 169: 4098-4102). We therefore investigated whether a similar mechanism can be responsible for the decreased detection of the GPI-anchored CD160 at the surface of activated CD56dim NK lymphocytes. PB-NK lymphocytes were stimulated with IL-15 and further incubated in the presence of the phospholipase C (PLC)-type inhibitor U73122, or the GPI-specific phospholipase D (GPI-PLD) inhibitor 1,10-phenanthroline monohydrate (1,10 PNT). Cells were subsequently subjected to flow cytometry analysis to visualize membrane-bound CD160. The results shown in
Characterization of Soluble CD160 (sCD160) Molecules Released in IL-15-Stimulated PB-NK Cell Extracellular Environment
To definitely demonstrate the IL-15-mediated release of soluble CD160 by activated NK lymphocytes, and to better characterize this soluble form at the molecular level, anti-CD160 immunoprecipitates were prepared from resting or IL-15-treated PB-NK cell culture medium. The analysis of the immunoprecipitated proteins by Western blot using the anti-CD160 mAb CL1-R2 leads to the detection of a unique protein band with an apparent molecular mass of 80 kDa (
A sCD160-Flag fusion protein binds to MHC class I molecules and inhibits the activity of cytotoxic lymphocytes To investigate the functional role of sCD160, we generated an expression vector coding for a C-terminal Flag-tagged soluble CD160 protein (sCD160-Flag). This fusion protein, when expressed by transiently transfected COS7 cells, exhibits the same multimeric structure that sCD160 molecules precipitated from an IL-15-treated PB-NK culture supernatant, as demonstrated by its detection as a 80 kDa polypeptide upon anti-CD160 mAb immunoblotting (
The ability of sCD160 molecules to interact with MHC class I molecules led us to determine whether this association could functionally affect the MHC class I-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) activities. Therefore, the cytolytic activity of the HLA-A11-restricted human cytotoxic T cell clone JF1 (David, V., J-F., Bourge, P. Guglielmi, D. Mathieu-Mahul, L. Degos, and A. Bensussan. 1987. J. Immunol. 138: 2831-2836) was tested against the specific HLA-A11 EBV-transformed B cell line. The target cells were pre-incubated with a culture supernatant obtained from COS7 cells transfected with either the empty expression vector (control) or sCD160-Flag coding construct. A representative experiment, shown in
We previously reported that the lysis of K562 cells by freshly isolated PB-NK lymphocytes (that expressed significant amount of CD160, see
Characterization of Soluble CD160 (sCD160) Molecules Released by T Cells or By Mast Cells.
Nikolova et al. showed that CD160 cellular membrane expression is dowmodulated in lymphocytes activated for a few hours (Nikolova et al. Int Immunol. 2002 May;14(5):445-51). Culture supernatants of these activated cells were thus assessed for the presence of soluble CD160, and soluble CD160 was detected, demonstrating that activated T cells are capable of producing soluble CD160 (data not shown).
The capacity of mast cells to express CD160 and produce soluble CD160 was also assessed (
RT PCR for CD160 in HMC-1 and Peripheral Basophils from a Healthy Donor
A RT-PCR was done using standard procedure and specific primers for β actin and CD160. mRNA from cell lines and peripheral leukocytes were purified using the Trizol ragent technique. HMC-1 cells (a mast cell line) as well as peripheral basophils from an healthy donor display CD160 mRNA expression, with the two alternatively spliced short and long transcripts of 339 and 665 base pair, respectively. A similar expression is found in PBL and NK cells from healthy donors and in NK92 cells. As negative controls, Cos and Jurkat cells do not show CD160 expression.
CD160 Immunoprecipitation in Culture Supernatant of Human Mast Cells
CD160 immunoprecipitation was done in HMC-1 cells lysate and supernatant, as well as in supernatant of human mast cells grown in culture, from CD34+ pluripotent progenitor derived from cord blood (CB-MC) or cytapheresis (C-MC) of healthy donors. Following protein separation, immunoblotting was performed using the Tm60 monoclonal antibody (CL1-R2) and a horseradish peroxidase-conjugated secondary antibody. A specific 83 kD immunoprecipitate is found in the supernatant of both HMC-1 cells and CD34+ progenitor cells derived human mast cells, indicating that these cells produce soluble CD160.
Immunohistochemical expression of CD160 by human mast cells from normal tissues and cutaneous mastocytosis and HMC-1 Standard immunohistochemical detection of CD160 and mast cell tryptase was done with the avidin biotin-peroxydase technique, using Tm60 monoclonal antibody (CL1-R2) (A, C, E) and (B, D, F). For immunofluorescent tests, secondary biotinylated anti-mouse IgG antibodies and fluoroisothiocyanate conjugated streptavidine were used (G, H). In normal skin and accessory salivary gland paraffin embedded tissue sections, mast cells are strongly stained with anti-CD160 monoclonal antibodies (A, C, arrows). In the skin, they are located in the papillary dermis and around dermal capillaries of the mid and deep dermis (A). In salivary gland, they are seen around the salivary ducts and acini (C). In both skin and salivary gland, mast cells are characterized morphologically and by mast cell tryptase expression (B, D). HMC-1 cells strongly express CD160, especially within cytoplasmic granules (E), as well as mast cell tryptase (F). Using immunofluorescent tests, mast cells from cutaneous mastocytosis (G) and HMC-1 cells (H) display strong granular expression of CD160 (arrows).
(Magnifications: A,B,C,D,E,F ×200; G, H: ×400)
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 06291177.1 | Jul 2006 | EP | regional |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/EP07/57447 | 7/18/2007 | WO | 00 | 1/16/2009 |
