TCR-ζ EXPRESSION AND APOPTOSIS IN PERIPHRAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS OF PATIENTS WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCER

在头颈癌患者中，免疫功能的下降常被指出。流式细胞术检测发现，头颈癌患者外周血中T细胞受体ζ(T细胞受体ζ)的表达明显低于对照组。此外，采用末端脱氧核苷酸转移酶介导的dUTP缺口末端标记法检测晚期细胞凋亡，发现头颈癌患者外周血单个核细胞表面死亡受体Fas-R的表达明显高于正常对照组。推测Fas-Fas L复合体诱导PBMC凋亡的机制可能与T细胞受体途径无关。

The decline of immunocompetence was often pointed out in patients with head and neck cancer. And the abnormality of signal transfer molecule in peripheral blood lymphocyte or tumor infiltrating lymphocyte, which was associated with T cell receptor(TCR) has been reported.We showed that the expression of TCR-ζ(T cell receptorζ), in CD4^+ T cells and CD8^+ T cerlls, was lower in patients with head and neck cancer than in control by quantitative flow cytometry. Moreover, by TUNEL assay(terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling ), which detected late phase apoptosis, the patients showed higher spontaneous apoptosis in CD3^+ T cell than normal control.On the other hand, the expression of Fas-R, which is one of the death receptors, on the surface of PBMCs(peripheral blood mononuclear cells) in patients with head and neck cancer was relatively high as compared with that in control. So the possibility of the apoptosis of PBMCs induced by Fas-Fas L complex as a mechanism of apoptosis without being connected with T cell receptor pathway was also guessed.