Publication details

Lymphocyte showing the phenotype of regulatory T-cells infiltrate colon carcinoma

Authors

GARAJOVÁ Ingrid FABIAN Pavel NENUTIL Rudolf SLABÝ Ondřej KOCÁKOVÁ Ilona GRELL Peter HANZELKOVÁ Zina SVOBODA Marek VYZULA Rostislav

Year of publication 2007
Type Conference abstract
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Medicine

Citation
Description We have previously shown that colon carcinoma (CC) is infiltrated by FOXP3-positive lymphocytes. Although the transcription factor FOXP3 is claimed to be specific for regulatory T (TREG) cells, the canonical TREG population is known to show the CD4+ CD25+ (FOXP3+) immunophenotype. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate whether FOXP3+ cells infiltrating CC coexpress indeed CD4 and CD25 molecules. Double-staining experiments were therefore performed on serial sections obtained from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded specimens of nine cases of CC. The CC infiltrate included numerous CD4+ as well as CD25+ cells; moreover CD4+ cells harboured both FOXP3+ and FOXP3- lymphocytes; similarly, CD25+ cells included both FOXP3+ and FOXP3- lymphocytes. Nevertheless, all the FOXP3+ cells showed simultaneously CD4-positivity; similarly, all the FOXP3+ cells showed simultaneously CD25-positivity. Thus, the FOXP3+ lymphocytes infiltrating CC are characterized by the coexpression of both CD4 and CD25 molecules, and show therefore an immunophenotype overlapping with that of standard CD4+CD25+FOXP3+ TREG cells. The presence of lymphocytes resembling TREG cells within the microenvironment of CC can explain why the CC tumour mass, despite being also infiltrated by cytolytic anti-tumour CD8+/CD4+ lymphocytes, shows however the well known capability to undergo fatal progression. Acknowledgment: This project is supported by Internal Grant Agency, Ministry of Health, Czech Republic. No.: NR/9076-4.

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