Immunology and Infectious Disease Commons^™

Enhancing Immunotherapeutic Interventions For Treatment Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Kamira K. Maharaj

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in developed countries. It is characterized by the accumulation of CD5+ B lymphocytes in the peripheral blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues of affected patients. Patients experience lymphadenopathy, fatigue, and are severely immunocompromised. Management of disease and symptoms is possible with chemo-immunotherapy for higher risk patients; however, CLL remains incurable unless bone marrow transplant is performed. Identification of novel targets and optimization of current therapeutics is therefore still necessary. The new targeted therapies are at the forefront of development for CLL treatment, but it remains challenging to maximize their efficacies while …

Role Of Interleukin-6 In Cd4 And Cd8 T Cell Effector Functions, Rui Yang

Graduate College Dissertations and Theses

IL-6 is an inflammatory cytokine that contributes to the pathogenesis of many immunological diseases including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, systemic lupus erythematosus, allergic asthma, as well as the protection against infections caused by various pathogens. These are linked to its role in regulating CD4 T cell differentiation and effector function.

Most of these functions are dependent on the IL-6-mediated signaling through the transcription factor Stat3. In this thesis, we identify a novel molecular mechanism by which IL-6 regulates CD4 T cell effector function. We show that IL-6-dependent signal raises the levels of mitochondrial Ca2+ late during activation of CD4 T …

Epigenetic Modifiers To Augment The Immunogenicity Of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Jason A. Dubovsky

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cancer cells employ a litany of immunosuppressive and immunevasive strategies to avoid detection and elimination by the various arms of the innate and adaptive immune system. Many hematologic and solid tumors progressively develop a specialized microenvironment which promotes tissue restructuring inflammation while masking the immune signature of the tumor cells themselves. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a malignancy of mature B lymphocytes must constantly balance on the precipice of immune recognition. A mature antigen presenting cell themselves, CLL clonal growth is dependent on the very interactions which, if effective, could potentially lead to their demise. To circumvent this, CLL clones set up …