Soluble MHC I and Soluble MIC Molecules: Potential Therapeutic Targets for Cancer

Abstract

It has become clear that soluble MHC I (sMHC I) and soluble MIC (sMIC), which are highly elevated in sera of cancer patients, can be viewed to be tolerogenic, and that metalloproteinases are involved in their generation process. In this review, an overview is provided of the recent progress made in the sMHC I and sMIC fields, with emphasis on their structure, formation, and function, and the key-questions that still await answers are addressed. Understanding better their formation mechanism, it will become more feasible to modulate the immune responses in cancer patients by targeting molecules involved in their generation process.

Keywords :

• soluble MHC I
• soluble MIC
• cancer
• therapeutic target

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was supported by grants from the Key Development Program for Fundamental Research of China (2010CB933900), NIH (AI 045761 and AI 045761–09S1), the Key Scientific and Technological Projects of Shaanxi Province of China (2010K14-02-09), and Chinese Science and Technology Special Project (2009ZX10004-311).