No abstract

Abstract-Estrogen has been demonstrated to promote therapeutic reendothelialization after vascular injury by bone marrow (BM)-derived endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) mobilization and phenotypic modulation. We investigated the primary hypothesis that estrogen regulates physiological postnatal vasculogenesis by modulating bioactivity of BMderived EPCs through the estrogen receptor (ER), in cyclic hormonally regulated endometrial neovascularization. Cultured human EPCs from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PB-MNCs) disclosed consistent gene expression of ER ␣ as well as downregulated gene expressions of ER ␤. Under the physiological concentrations of estrogen (17␤-estradiol, E2), proliferation and migration were stimulated, whereas apoptosis was inhibited on day 7 cultured EPCs. These estrogen-induced activities were blocked by the receptor antagonist, ICI182,780 (ICI). In BM transplanted (BMT) mice with ovariectomy (OVX) from transgenic mice overexpressing ␤-galactosidase (lacZ) regulated by an endothelial specific Tie-2 promoter (Tie-2/lacZ/BM), the uterus demonstrated a significant increase in BM-derived EPCs (lacZ expressing cells) incorporated into neovasculatures detected by CD31 immunohistochemistry after E2 administration. The BM-derived EPCs that were incorporated into the uterus dominantly expressed ER ␣, rather than ER ␤ in BMT mice from BM of transgenic mice overexpressing EGFP regulated by Tie-2 promoter with OVX (Tie-2/EGFP/BMT/OVX) by ERs fluorescence immunohistochemistry. An in vitro assay for colony forming activity as well as flow cytometry for CD133, CD34, KDR, and VE-cadherin, using human PB-MNCs at 5 stages of the female menstrual-cycle (early-proliferative, pre-ovulatory, post-ovulatory, mid-luteal, late-luteal), revealed cycle-specific regulation of EPC kinetics. These findings demonstrate that physiological postnatal vasculogenesis involves cyclic, E2-regulated bioactivity of BM-derived EPCs, predominantly through the ER␣. (Circ Res. 2007;101:598-606.)Key Words: estrogen Ⅲ endothelial progenitor cell Ⅲ estrogen receptor Ⅲ physiological postnatal vasculogenesis I n the female reproductive system, neovascularization is a recurring phenomemnon controlled by cyclic development of transient structure and cyclical repair of damaged tissue. 1 The ovarian sex steroid hormones, estrogen and progesterone, are primarily uterotropic and control the cyclical patterns of uterine cell proliferation and vascular growth that occur throughout the nonpregnant menstrual cycle. Given the synchronized nature of neovascularization in this cyclical mannter, it is assumed that angiogenic growth factor expression is induced by steroid hormones and regulates blood vessel formation in reproductive organogenesis. [2][3][4][5] Despite clinical evidence for the significant role of steroid hormones in endometrial neovascularization, further investigation using in vitro and in vivo experiments have yielded inconclusive results regarding pathophysiological mechanisms in angiogenesis. 6 -10 Moreover, estrogen has been sh...

Purpose: The peptides derived from ideal cancer-testis antigens, including LY6K, CDCA1, and IMP3 (identified using genome-wide cDNA microarray analyses), were used in immunotherapy for head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC). In this trial, we analyzed the immune response to and safety and efficacy of vaccine therapy.Experimental Design: A total of 37 patients with advanced HNSCC were enrolled in this trial of peptide vaccine therapy, and the OS, PFS, and immunologic response were evaluated using enzyme-linked ImmunoSpot (ELISPOT) and pentamer assays. The peptides were subcutaneously administered weekly with IFA. The primary endpoints were evaluated on the basis of differences between HLA-A Ã 2402-positive [A24(þ)] patients treated with peptide vaccine therapy and -negative [A24(À)] patients treated without peptide vaccine therapy among those with advanced HNSCC.Results: Our cancer vaccine therapy was well tolerated. The OS of the A24(þ) vaccinated group (n ¼ 37) was statistically significantly longer than that of the A24(À) group (n ¼ 18) and median survival time (MST) was 4.9 versus 3.5 months, respectively; P < 0.05. One of the patients exhibited a complete response. In the A24(þ) vaccinated group, the ELISPOT assay identified LY6K-, CDCA1-, and IMP3-specific CTL responses in 85.7%, 64.3%, and 42.9% of the patients, respectively. The patients showing LY6K-and CDCA1-specific CTL responses demonstrated a longer OS than those without CTL induction. Moreover, the patients exhibiting CTL induction for multiple peptides demonstrated better clinical responses.Conclusions: The immune response induced by this vaccine may improve the prognosis of patients with advanced HNSCC.

No abstract