Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Journal of Isfahan Medical School 1027-7595 30 200 2012 09 22 Forkhead Box Protein 3 and Regulatory T Cells in Cluster of Differentiation 4 and 8 T cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Breast Cancer Forkhead Box Protein 3 and Regulatory T Cells in Cluster of Differentiation 4 and 8 T cell Subsets in Peripheral Blood of Patients with Breast Cancer 13860 FA Alireza Andalib Associate Professor, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0002-2032-6281 Mahtab Tapak Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Payman Mottaghi Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Shady Babazadeh Department of Radiotherapy and Oncology, Seyed-Al-Shohada Hospital, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Abbas Rezaei Professor, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran Mansoor Salesi Professor, Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran 0000-0001-7108-6188 Journal Article 2012 06 07 Background: Immune cells and their cytokine production affect in the outcomes of many malignancies. Two subsets of cluster of differentiation 4 T cells (TCD4+) are categorized as T helper 1 (TH1) and 2 (TH2) which differ in their cytokine profile. TH1/TH2 cell balance could shift toward TH2-type responsiveness in many malignancies. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a new group of T cells which are indicated to adjust other immune cells including T helper cells. Forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) is a lineage-determining transcription factor for Treg. Several subsets of Foxp3 and Treg have been identified. CD4+Foxp3+Treg and CD8+Foxp3+Treg are the main cell population in circulation and were the subject of evaluation in this study. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 48 patients with breast cancer and 21 healthy controls. Monoclonal antibodies including anti-CD4, anti-CD8 and anti-Foxp3 were used and specific staining process was performed. Flow cytometry was applied for evaluation and assessment of the markers. Findings: The percentage of CD4+Foxp3+Treg was 1.75 ± 0.74 in breast cancer group and 1.25 ± 0.30 in the control group (P = 0.004). The corresponding values for CD8+Foxp3+ Treg were 0.71 ± 0.17 and 0.63 ± 0.16 (P = 0.080). The mean of white blood cell (WBC) count and lymphocyte population in the breast cancer group were lower than the control group but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: According to our findings, altered frequency of Treg might be involved in the prognosis of breast cancer. This may be a contributory factor in the susceptibility to breast cancer. Therefore, targeting Treg can be a novel therapeutic approach in this disease. Keywords: Breast cancer, Regulatory T cells, Foxp3, CD4, CD8, T cells Background: Immune cells and their cytokine production affect in the outcomes of many malignancies. Two subsets of cluster of differentiation 4 T cells (TCD4+) are categorized as T helper 1 (TH1) and 2 (TH2) which differ in their cytokine profile. TH1/TH2 cell balance could shift toward TH2-type responsiveness in many malignancies. Regulatory T cells (Treg) are a new group of T cells which are indicated to adjust other immune cells including T helper cells. Forkhead box protein 3 (Foxp3) is a lineage-determining transcription factor for Treg. Several subsets of Foxp3 and Treg have been identified. CD4+Foxp3+Treg and CD8+Foxp3+Treg are the main cell population in circulation and were the subject of evaluation in this study. Methods: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were obtained from 48 patients with breast cancer and 21 healthy controls. Monoclonal antibodies including anti-CD4, anti-CD8 and anti-Foxp3 were used and specific staining process was performed. Flow cytometry was applied for evaluation and assessment of the markers. Findings: The percentage of CD4+Foxp3+Treg was 1.75 ± 0.74 in breast cancer group and 1.25 ± 0.30 in the control group (P = 0.004). The corresponding values for CD8+Foxp3+ Treg were 0.71 ± 0.17 and 0.63 ± 0.16 (P = 0.080). The mean of white blood cell (WBC) count and lymphocyte population in the breast cancer group were lower than the control group but the differences were not statistically significant. Conclusion: According to our findings, altered frequency of Treg might be involved in the prognosis of breast cancer. This may be a contributory factor in the susceptibility to breast cancer. Therefore, targeting Treg can be a novel therapeutic approach in this disease. Keywords: Breast cancer, Regulatory T cells, Foxp3, CD4, CD8, T cells https://jims.mui.ac.ir/article_13860_d4dcf709a96dca127d0429d73c443afb.pdf