Target Selection for T-Cell Therapy in Epithelial Ovarian Cancer: Systematic Prioritization of Self-Antigens

Adoptive T cell-receptor therapy (ACT) could represent a promising approach in the targeted treatment of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). However, the identification of suitable tumor-associated antigens (TAAs) as targets is challenging. We identified and prioritized TAAs for ACT and other immunotherapeutic interventions in EOC. A comprehensive list of pre-described TAAs was created and candidates were prioritized, using predefined weighted criteria. Highly ranked TAAs were immunohistochemically stained in a tissue microarray of 58 EOC samples to identify associations of TAA expression with grade, stage, response to platinum, and prognosis. Preselection based on expression data resulted in 38 TAAs, which were prioritized. Along with already published Cyclin A1, the TAAs KIF20A, CT45, and LY6K emerged as most promising targets, with high expression in EOC samples and several identified peptides in ligandome analysis. Expression of these TAAs showed prognostic relevance independent of molecular subtypes. By using a systematic vetting algorithm, we identified KIF20A, CT45, and LY6K to be promising candidates for immunotherapy in EOC. Results are supported by IHC and HLA-ligandome data. The described method might be helpful for the prioritization of TAAs in other tumor entities.

The use of video glasses at ultrasound-guided interventions

Purpose: Video glasses form a virtual image in front of the user. We investigated the utility of video glasses at US-guided interventions.

Material and Methods: The video glasses were tested at 75 consecutive US-guided interventions. The operator sees the US image in front of him, and below the glasses, simply by moving his eyes, he can see the patient and the field of intervention.

Results: The video glasses could be used at all 75 US-guided interventions. The image quality was below that of the US monitor, but adequate. The working posture was improved, it was easy to get accustomed to using the system, there was no increased time consumption, and the patients felt comfortable with the set-up.

Conclusion: Use of video glasses facilitates US-guided interventions.

tRNA-Related Sequences Trigger Systemic mRNA Transport in Plants

In plants, protein-coding mRNAs can move via the phloem vasculature to distant tissues, where they may act as non-cell-autonomous signals. Emerging work has identified many phloem-mobile mRNAs, but little is known regarding RNA motifs triggering mobility, the extent of mRNA transport, and the potential of transported mRNAs to be translated into functional proteins after transport. To address these aspects, we produced reporter transcripts harboring tRNA-like structures (TLSs) that were found to be enriched in the phloem stream and in mRNAs moving over chimeric graft junctions. Phenotypic and enzymatic assays on grafted plants indicated that mRNAs harboring a distinctive TLS can move from transgenic roots into wild-type leaves and from transgenic leaves into wild-type flowers or roots; these mRNAs can also be translated into proteins after transport. In addition, we provide evidence that dicistronic mRNA:tRNA transcripts are frequently produced in Arabidopsis thaliana and are enriched in the population of graft-mobile mRNAs. Our results suggest that tRNA-derived sequences with predicted stem-bulge-stem-loop structures are sufficient to mediate mRNA transport and seem to be necessary for the mobility of a large number of endogenous transcripts that can move through graft junctions.

Proteasome β5i Subunit Deficiency Affects Opsonin Synthesis and Aggravates Pneumococcal Pneumonia

Immunoproteasomes, harboring the active site subunits β5i/LMP7, β1i/LMP2, and β2i/MECL1 exert protective, regulatory or modulating functions during infection-induced immune responses. Immunoproteasomes are constitutively expressed in hematopoietic derived cells, constituting the first line of defense against invading pathogens. To clarify the impact of immunoproteasomes on the innate immune response against Streptococcus pneumoniae, we characterized the progression of disease and analyzed the systemic immune response in β5i/LMP7-/- mice. Our data show that β5i/LMP7 deficiency, which affected the subunit composition of proteasomes in murine macrophages and liver, was accompanied by reduced transcription of genes encoding immune modulating molecules such as pentraxins, ficolins, and collectins. The diminished opsonin expression suggested an impaired humoral immune response against invading pneumococci resulting in an aggravated systemic dissemination of S. pneumoniae in β5i/LMP7-/- mice. The impaired bacterial elimination in β5i/LMP7-/- mice was accompanied by an aggravated course of pneumonia with early mortality as a consequence of critical illness during the late phase of disease. In summary our results highlight an unsuspected role for immuno-subunits in modulating the innate immune response to extracellular bacterial infections.

Development of a compact fast CCD camera and resonant soft x-ray scattering endstation for time-resolved pump-probe experiments

The designs of a compact, fast CCD (cFCCD) camera, together with a resonant soft x-ray scattering endstation, are presented. The cFCCD camera consists of a highly parallel, custom, thick, high-resistivity CCD, readout by a custom 16-channel application specific integrated circuit to reach the maximum readout rate of 200 frames per second. The camera is mounted on a virtual-axis flip stage inside the RSXS chamber. When this flip stage is coupled to a differentially pumped rotary seal, the detector assembly can rotate about 100°/360° in the vertical/horizontal scattering planes. With a six-degrees-of-freedom cryogenic sample goniometer, this endstation has the capability to detect the superlattice reflections from the electronic orderings showing up in the lower hemisphere. The complete system has been tested at the Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and has been used in multiple experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

A high-efficiency spin-resolved photoemission spectrometer combining time-of-flight spectroscopy with exchange-scattering polarimetry

We describe a spin-resolved electron spectrometer capable of uniquely efficient and high energy resolution measurements. Spin analysis is obtained through polarimetry based on low-energy exchange scattering from a ferromagnetic thin-film target. This approach can achieve a similar analyzing power (Sherman function) as state-of-the-art Mott scattering polarimeters, but with as much as 100 times improved efficiency due to increased reflectivity. Performance is further enhanced by integrating the polarimeter into a time-of-flight (TOF) based energy analysis scheme with a precise and flexible electrostatic lens system. The parallel acquisition of a range of electron kinetic energies afforded by the TOF approach results in an order of magnitude (or more) increase in efficiency compared to hemispherical analyzers. The lens system additionally features a 90 degrees bandpass filter, which by removing unwanted parts of the photoelectron distribution allows the TOF technique to be performed at low electron drift energy and high energy resolution within a wide range of experimental parameters. The spectrometer is ideally suited for high-resolution spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (spin-ARPES), and initial results are shown. The TOF approach makes the spectrometer especially ideal for time-resolved spin-ARPES experiments.

The use of video glasses at ultrasound-guided interventions

PURPOSE

Video glasses form a virtual image in front of the user. We investigated the utility of video glasses at US-guided interventions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The video glasses were tested at 75 consecutive US-guided interventions. The operator sees the US image in front of him, and below the glasses, simply by moving his eyes, he can see the patient and the field of intervention.

RESULTS

The video glasses could be used at all 75 US-guided interventions. The image quality was below that of the US monitor, but adequate. The working posture was improved, it was easy to get accustomed to using the system, there was no increased time consumption, and the patients felt comfortable with the set-up.

CONCLUSION

Use of video glasses facilitates US-guided interventions.