Christine A. Strick

Bio: Christine A. Strick is an academic researcher from Pfizer. The author has contributed to research in topics: Phosphodiesterase & Medium spiny neuron. The author has an hindex of 18, co-authored 33 publications receiving 2305 citations.

Interferon–inducible T Cell Alpha Chemoattractant (I-TAC): A Novel Non-ELR CXC Chemokine with Potent Activity on Activated T Cells through Selective High Affinity Binding to CXCR3

Abstract: Chemokines are essential mediators of normal leukocyte trafficking as well as of leukocyte recruitment during inflammation. We describe here a novel non-ELR CXC chemokine identified through sequence analysis of cDNAs derived from cytokine-activated primary human astrocytes. This novel chemokine, referred to as I-TAC (interferon-inducible T cell alpha chemoattractant), is regulated by interferon (IFN) and has potent chemoattractant activity for interleukin (IL)-2–activated T cells, but not for freshly isolated unstimulated T cells, neutrophils, or monocytes. I-TAC interacts selectively with CXCR3, which is the receptor for two other IFN-inducible chemokines, the IFN-γ–inducible 10-kD protein (IP-10) and IFN-γ– induced human monokine (HuMig), but with a significantly higher affinity. In addition, higher potency and efficacy of I-TAC over IP-10 and HuMig is demonstrated by transient mobilization of intracellular calcium as well as chemotactic migration in both activated T cells and transfected cell lines expressing CXCR3. Stimulation of astrocytes with IFN-γ and IL-1 together results in an ∼400,000-fold increase in I-TAC mRNA expression, whereas stimulating monocytes with either of the cytokines alone or in combination results in only a 100-fold increase in the level of I-TAC transcript. Moderate expression is also observed in pancreas, lung, thymus, and spleen. The high level of expression in IFN- and IL-1–stimulated astrocytes suggests that I-TAC could be a major chemoattractant for effector T cells involved in the pathophysiology of neuroinflammatory disorders, although I-TAC may also play a role in the migration of activated T cells during IFN-dominated immune responses.

Glycylcyclines bind to the high-affinity tetracycline ribosomal binding site and evade Tet(M)- and Tet(O)-mediated ribosomal protection.

Abstract: N,N-dimethylglycylamido (DMG) derivatives of 6-demethyl-6-deoxytetracycline and doxycycline bind 5-fold more effectively than tetracycline to the tetracycline high-affinity binding site on the Escherichia coli 70S ribosome, which correlates with a 10-fold increase in potency for inhibition of E. coli cell-free translation. The potencies of DMG-doxycycline and DMG-6-demethyl-6-deoxytetracycline were unaffected by the ribosomal tetracycline resistance factors Tet(M) and Tet(O) in cell-free translation assays and whole-cell bioassays with a conditional Tet(M)-producing E. coli strain.

Cancer immunoediting: from immunosurveillance to tumor escape.

Abstract: The concept that the immune system can recognize and destroy nascent transformed cells was originally embodied in the cancer immunosurveillance hypothesis of Burnet and Thomas. This hypothesis was abandoned shortly afterwards because of the absence of strong experimental evidence supporting the concept. New data, however, clearly show the existence of cancer immunosurveillance and also indicate that it may function as a component of a more general process of cancer immunoediting. This process is responsible for both eliminating tumors and sculpting the immunogenic phenotypes of tumors that eventually form in immunocompetent hosts. In this review, we will summarize the historical and experimental basis of cancer immunoediting and discuss its dual roles in promoting host protection against cancer and facilitating tumor escape from immune destruction.

Predictive correlates of response to the anti-PD-L1 antibody MPDL3280A in cancer patients

Abstract: The development of human cancer is a multistep process characterized by the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations that drive or reflect tumour progression. These changes distinguish cancer cells from their normal counterparts, allowing tumours to be recognized as foreign by the immune system. However, tumours are rarely rejected spontaneously, reflecting their ability to maintain an immunosuppressive microenvironment. Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1; also called B7-H1 or CD274), which is expressed on many cancer and immune cells, plays an important part in blocking the 'cancer immunity cycle' by binding programmed death-1 (PD-1) and B7.1 (CD80), both of which are negative regulators of T-lymphocyte activation. Binding of PD-L1 to its receptors suppresses T-cell migration, proliferation and secretion of cytotoxic mediators, and restricts tumour cell killing. The PD-L1-PD-1 axis protects the host from overactive T-effector cells not only in cancer but also during microbial infections. Blocking PD-L1 should therefore enhance anticancer immunity, but little is known about predictive factors of efficacy. This study was designed to evaluate the safety, activity and biomarkers of PD-L1 inhibition using the engineered humanized antibody MPDL3280A. Here we show that across multiple cancer types, responses (as evaluated by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours, version 1.1) were observed in patients with tumours expressing high levels of PD-L1, especially when PD-L1 was expressed by tumour-infiltrating immune cells. Furthermore, responses were associated with T-helper type 1 (TH1) gene expression, CTLA4 expression and the absence of fractalkine (CX3CL1) in baseline tumour specimens. Together, these data suggest that MPDL3280A is most effective in patients in which pre-existing immunity is suppressed by PD-L1, and is re-invigorated on antibody treatment.

Tetracycline Antibiotics: Mode of Action, Applications, Molecular Biology, and Epidemiology of Bacterial Resistance

Abstract: Tetracyclines were discovered in the 1940s and exhibited activity against a wide range of microorganisms including gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, chlamydiae, mycoplasmas, rickettsiae, and protozoan parasites. They are inexpensive antibiotics, which have been used extensively in the prophlylaxis and therapy of human and animal infections and also at subtherapeutic levels in animal feed as growth promoters. The first tetracycline-resistant bacterium, Shigella dysenteriae, was isolated in 1953. Tetracycline resistance now occurs in an increasing number of pathogenic, opportunistic, and commensal bacteria. The presence of tetracycline-resistant pathogens limits the use of these agents in treatment of disease. Tetracycline resistance is often due to the acquisition of new genes, which code for energy-dependent efflux of tetracyclines or for a protein that protects bacterial ribosomes from the action of tetracyclines. Many of these genes are associated with mobile plasmids or transposons and can be distinguished from each other using molecular methods including DNA-DNA hybridization with oligonucleotide probes and DNA sequencing. A limited number of bacteria acquire resistance by mutations, which alter the permeability of the outer membrane porins and/or lipopolysaccharides in the outer membrane, change the regulation of innate efflux systems, or alter the 16S rRNA. New tetracycline derivatives are being examined, although their role in treatment is not clear. Changing the use of tetracyclines in human and animal health as well as in food production is needed if we are to continue to use this class of broad-spectrum antimicrobials through the present century.

The biology of chemokines and their receptors.

Abstract: During the last five years, the development of bioinformatics and EST databases has been primarily responsible for the identification of many new chemokines and chemokine receptors. The chemokine field has also received considerable attention since chemokine receptors were found to act as co-receptors for HIV infection (1). In addition, chemokines, along with adhesion molecules, are crucial during inflammatory responses for a timely recruitment of specific leukocyte subpopulations to sites of tissue damage. However, chemokines and their receptors are also important in dendritic cell maturation (2), B (3), and T (4) cell development, Th1 and Th2 responses, infections, angiogenesis, and tumor growth as well as metastasis (5). Furthermore, an increase in the number of chemokine/receptor transgenic and knock-out mice has helped to define the functions of chemokines in vivo. In this review we discuss some of the chemokines' biological effects in vivo and in vitro, described in the last few years, and the implications of these findings when considering chemokine receptors as therapeutic targets.

International Union of Pharmacology. XXII. Nomenclature for Chemokine Receptors

Abstract: Chemokine receptors comprise a large family of seven transmembrane domain G protein-coupled receptors differentially expressed in diverse cell types. Biological activities have been most clearly defined in leukocytes, where chemokines coordinate development, differentiation, anatomic distribution, trafficking, and effector functions and thereby regulate innate and adaptive immune responses. Pharmacological analysis of chemokine receptors is at an early stage of development. Disease indications have been established in human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immune deficiency syndrome and in Plasmodium vivax malaria, due to exploitation of CCR5 and Duffy, respectively, by the pathogen for cell entry. Additional indications are emerging among inflammatory and immunologically mediated diseases, but selection of targets in this area still remains somewhat speculative. Small molecule antagonists with nanomolar affinity have been reported for 7 of the 18 known chemokine receptors but have not yet been studied in clinical trials. Virally encoded chemokine receptors, as well as chemokine agonists and antagonists, and chemokine scavengers have been identified in medically important poxviruses and herpesviruses, again underscoring the importance of the chemokine system in microbial pathogenesis and possibly identifying specific strategies for modulating chemokine action therapeutically. The purpose of this review is to update current concepts of the biology and pharmacology of the chemokine system, to summarize key information about each chemokine receptor, and to describe a widely accepted receptor nomenclature system, ratified by the International Union of Pharmacology, that is facilitating clear communication in this area.