Date of Award
2015
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Microbiology and Immunology
Abstract
Vitiligo and melanoma are both melanocyte-derived diseases; vitiligo progresses through the autoimmune-targeted destruction of healthy melanocytes while melanoma results from uncontrolled proliferation of cancerous melanocytes. Treatment of vitiligo with HSP70iQ435A inhibits the DC-mediated auto-immune response against melanocytes in vitiligo mouse models; this raises the concern that treatment with this modified HSP may also inhibit natural anti-tumor responses against melanocyte-derived melanoma tumor cells.
We hypothesized that HSP70iQ435A prevents migration of melanocyte-antigen reactive T cells to the skin in a way that is mechanistically different from anti-tumor responses to melanoma and therefore would not have a negative effect on anti-tumor responses. We also hypothesized that treatment with HSP70iQ435A confers anti-melanoma resistance through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytoxicity directed against surface-HSP70i on melanoma cells. Therefore, treatment with HSP70iQ435A may have therapeutic value in treatment of both vitiligo and melanoma.
Recommended Citation
Mahon, James, "Separating Autoimmune and Anti-Tumor Responses with HSP70iQ435A" (2015). Master's Theses. 3141.
https://ecommons.luc.edu/luc_theses/3141
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Copyright Statement
Copyright © 2015 James Mahon
