Tumor Immunology Viewed from Alternative Animal Models —the Xenopus Story

AbstractPurpose of ReviewNonmammalian comparative animal models are important not only to gain fundamental evolutionary understanding of the complex interactions of tumors with the immune system but also to better predict the applicability of novel immunotherapeutic approaches to humans. After reviewing recent advances in developing alternative models, we focus on the amphibianXenopus laevis and its usefulness in deciphering the perplexing roles of MHC class I-like molecules and innate (i)T cells in tumor immunity.Recent FindingsExperiments using MHC-defined inbred and cloned animals, tumor cell lines, effective reagents, sequenced genomes, and adapted gene editing techniques inXenopus, have revealed that the critical involvement of class I-like molecules and iT cells in tumor immunity has been conserved during evolution.SummaryComparative studies with theX. laevis tumor immunity model can contribute to the development of better and more efficient cancer immunotherapies.

Source: Current Pathobiology Reports - January 25, 2017 Category: Laboratory Medicine Source Type: research