HIGHLIGHTS

IMMUNOTHERAPY It takes two to tango

Much of the recent work on the development of active, specific immunotherapy of cancer has focused on the induction of CD8+ cytotoxic T- (CTL) responses, and several studies have shown that it is possible to stimulate tumour-specific CTLs using dendritic cells (DCs) that are loaded with tumour . But CD4+ T-helper type 1 (TH1) cells are also important day of vaccination and loaded with various So, the results from this Phase I trial provide components of effective immune responses. MHC class-I- and -II-restricted . convincing evidence that cryopreserved DCs

In this study, Schuler–Thurner and Patients with incurable melanoma were can induce TH1 responses against tumour colleagues provide the first evidence that DCs treated with five biweekly vaccinations of antigens without significant toxicity, and it that are loaded with tumour-specific peptides DCs, followed by assessment one month also encourages further development of can rapidly induce TH1 responses in cancer after the final vaccination. DC-based vaccination technology. patients that are readily detectable ex vivo. The results showed that the vaccination Elaine Bell References and links The DCs that were used for vaccination protocol induced a rapid TH1 response in in this study were derived from blood patients, both to a control immunizing ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER Schuler–Thurner, B. et al. Rapid induction of tumor-specific type 1 T helper cells in monocytes that were matured ex vivo using and also to defined MHC class-II-restricted metastatic melanoma patients by vaccination with mature, a defined cocktail (consisting of interleukin tumour antigens. Immune responses were cryopreserved, -loaded monocyte-derived (IL)-1β, IL-6, tumour-necrosis factor and assessed on the basis of -γ dendritic cells. J. Exp. Med. 195, 1279–1288 (2002) FURTHER READING Wolchok, J. D. & Livingston, P. O. prostaglandin E2) and cryopreserved before production using ELISPOT assays and Vaccines for melanoma: translating basic immunology into use. Aliquots of cells were thawed on the antigen-specific proliferative responses. new therapies. Lancet Oncol. 2, 205–211 (2001)

AUTOIMMUNITY can regulate the threshold for B-cell activation), the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2 and the adhesion molecule VCAM1 — were chosen for Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman further study. Flow cytometry showed that receptors for E2 are expressed on B cells. Furthermore, the ectopic

It is a well-known fact that the incidence of expression of constitutively active E2 receptors on autoimmune diseases is higher in females than in B cells resulted in the increased expression of males — systemic lupus erythematosus, for CD22, SHP1 and Bcl-2. But, is there a functional example, occurs at a female-to-male ratio of consequence of increased expression of these about 10 to 1. The female sex hormone oestrogen molecules? To assess this, the team overexpressed is thought to be important for the pathogenesis CD22 or SHP1 in a B-lymphoma cell line to of autoimmune diseases, but the molecular basis mimic the increased expression of these receptors

for this has never been defined. In this study, in E2-treated B cells. Compared with mock- Betty Diamond’s group shows that oestrogen transfected cells, the CD22- or SHP1-transfected can modulate the survival of immature B cells, cells had decreased calcium-signalling responses leading to a more autoreactive B-cell repertoire. after stimulation with mock antigen. This indi- Earlier work from this group in a mouse cates that moderate changes in the level of model system established that the treatment of expression of these molecules can alter B-cell non-autoimmune mice that were transgenic for signalling and, so, might affect the tolerization the heavy chain of an anti-DNA with of autoreactive B cells.

oestradiol (E2) led to the rescue of autoreactive Taken together, these results show that E2 B cells that would normally have been deleted. can enhance the survival and activation of The current study looked at changes in gene autoreactive B cells, which might contribute to

expression in B cells that were treated with E2 to the development of autoimmune disease. determine how this can result in a skewed B-cell Elaine Bell

repertoire. Several E2-upregulated genes were References and links identified in B cells, and four of the genes — ORIGINAL RESEARCH PAPER Grimaldi, C. M., Cleary, J., Dagtas, A. S., Moussai, D. & Diamond, B. Estrogen alters encoding the CD22 and the intracellu- thresholds for B-cell and activation. J. Clin. Invest. lar tyrosine phosphatase SHP1 (both of which 109, 1625–1633 (2002)

462 | JULY 2002 | VOLUME 2 www.nature.com/reviews/immunol