This study quantified the perforin and granzyme B in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) at the time of diagnosis. Protein quantification was performed by flow cytometry. NHL patients had a higher number of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) expressing perforin as well as a greater number of activated CTLs than the control group. However, intracellular perforin levels in natural killer cells were lower in the NHL patients compared to the control group. Quantitative real time PCR showed that patients had more expression of perforin and granzyme B transcripts compared to the control group. In addition, patients who had expression of both genes below the median found for the NHL group had lower survival rates. Considering this, we believe that perforin and granzyme B are potential prognostic markers in NHL and thus it is fundamental to pay attention to their expressions in these patients.
Objectives: Perforin and granzyme B are essential proteins for protective immune responses mediated by Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes (CTLs) and Natural Killer cells (NK) against cancers, especially those of hematological origin. Our study investigated polymorphisms in the perforin gene (PRF1) and quantified the levels of the perforin and granzyme B proteins in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Methods: The PRF1 coding region was evaluated in 58 patients with MM and 78 healthy individuals using direct sequencing. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to quantify gene expression, and flow cytometry was used to determine the intracellular protein levels. Results: We did not observe differences in the allele frequencies of polymorphisms in the PRF1 gene as well as in perforin and granzyme B protein expression between patients with MM and healthy individuals. However, reduced expression of perforin or granzyme B genes was associated with a shorter survival time. In addition, patients with MM had significantly more CTLs expressing perforin and granzyme B, and had an increased number of NK cells. Conclusion: Our study suggests that the gene expression profile of perforin and granzyme B is a potential prognostic marker for MM.
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