<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><?xml-stylesheet type="text/xsl" href="static/style.xsl"?><OAI-PMH xmlns="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/ http://www.openarchives.org/OAI/2.0/OAI-PMH.xsd"><responseDate>2026-09-22T06:47:38Z</responseDate><request verb="GetRecord" identifier="oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/277191" metadataPrefix="uketd_dc">https://api.repository.cam.ac.uk/server/oai/request</request><GetRecord><record><header><identifier>oai:www.repository.cam.ac.uk:1810/277191</identifier><datestamp>2024-06-26T14:02:19Z</datestamp><setSpec>com_1810_221769</setSpec><setSpec>com_1810_256062</setSpec><setSpec>col_1810_221770</setSpec></header><metadata><uketd_dc:uketddc xmlns:uketd_dc="http://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/ethos-oai/2.0/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:dcterms="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" xmlns:uketdterms="http://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/ethos-oai/terms/" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns:doc="http://www.lyncode.com/xoai" xsi:schemaLocation="http://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/ethos-oai/2.0/ http://naca.central.cranfield.ac.uk/ethos-oai/2.0/uketd_dc.xsd">
   <dc:title>Evaluation of the microenvironment and immune function in histiocytic sarcoma, a tumour of dendritic cells</dc:title>
   <dc:identifier xsi:type="dcterms:DOI">10.17863/CAM.24484</dc:identifier>
   <dc:creator>Talamonti, Chiara</dc:creator>
   <uketdterms:advisor>Dobson, Jane</uketdterms:advisor>
   <uketdterms:advisor>Blacklaws , Barbara</uketdterms:advisor>
   <dcterms:abstract>Canine histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a highly aggressive tumour of histiocytic origin and it&#xd;
accounts for up to 50% of malignant tumours in flatcoated retrievers (FCR). Effective treatment&#xd;
has yet to be found, and prognosis is always poor.&#xd;
In recent years, in human and veterinary oncology, there has been a growing interest in&#xd;
regulatory T cells (Treg). This population of cells has the ability to down-regulate the immune&#xd;
system, aiding tumour growth and diffusion. In the literature evidence can be found of Treg&#xd;
infiltrating tumours and of elevation of percentages of Treg in peripheral blood of dogs and&#xd;
people with cancer.&#xd;
The aims of this project were to evaluate the presence of Treg infiltrating canine HS and to&#xd;
interrogate the tumour microenvironment to assess the molecules involved in tumour immuneevasion.&#xd;
Peripheral blood was analysed to determine the percentage of Treg in dogs bearing HS&#xd;
and age-matched controls.&#xd;
In this study 27 archive samples of HS were immunolabelled with MHC class II, E-cadherin,&#xd;
IL-10, CD3, FoxP3 and PD-L1 (26 samples). Eight blood samples from dogs bearing HS were&#xd;
analysed via flow cytometry to identify percentages of T cell (CD3+CD4+ and CD3+CD8+) and&#xd;
of Treg (CD4+, CD25+, FoxP3+).&#xd;
Findings showed no significant difference in the percentage of Treg in peripheral blood of&#xd;
disease FCR. However, a trend was found in a decrease of CD3+ cells in dogs with HS, driven&#xd;
by a reduction of CD3+CD8+ cells. Within the affected group a higher proportion of CD3+CD4-&#xd;
CD8- cells (possibly $\gamma$$\delta$ T cells) was also observed.&#xd;
Immunohistochemistry identified strong staining for MHC class II in all samples, confirming&#xd;
the presence of antigen presenting cells; and no staining for E-cadherin suggested mature&#xd;
dendritic cells as the cells of origin. Infiltrating cells stained strongly for CD3 and between 1%&#xd;
and 20% of these cells expressed FoxP3, confirming the presence of Treg. Surprisingly, low&#xd;
staining for IL-10 suggests that the release of this cytokine by Treg plays a minor role in immune&#xd;
evasion in canine HS.&#xd;
Antibody validation for a cross-reactive anti-PD-L1 antibody was achieved through&#xd;
immunofluorescence analysis of frozen HS samples and assessment of mRNA expression&#xd;
though PD-1 and PD-L1 assays on RT-qPCR. On FFPE samples positivity for PD-L1 was&#xd;
found in all samples, and overall 41% to 60% of neoplastic cells expressed the marker.&#xd;
This project has confirmed infiltration of Treg within the microenvironment of canine HS and&#xd;
has identified a possible role for the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway in canine HS immune evasion.</dcterms:abstract>
   <uketdterms:institution>University of Cambridge</uketdterms:institution>
   <dcterms:issued>2018-07-20</dcterms:issued>
   <dc:type>Thesis</dc:type>
   <uketdterms:qualificationlevel>Masters</uketdterms:qualificationlevel>
   <uketdterms:qualificationname>Master of Philosophy (MPhil)</uketdterms:qualificationname>
   <dc:language>en</dc:language>
   <uketdterms:sponsor>PetSavers</uketdterms:sponsor>
   <dcterms:isReferencedBy xsi:type="dcterms:URI">https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/277191</dcterms:isReferencedBy>
   <dcterms:license>https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/65bd31a9-b20a-49b2-a396-217c9c49785d/download</dcterms:license>
   <uketdterms:checksum xsi:type="uketdterms:MD5">87eda9de84448d1f82354d60eee3eb5f</uketdterms:checksum>
   <dc:identifier xsi:type="dcterms:URI">https://apollo8-f-pro.lib.cam.ac.uk/bitstreams/ffebd7b5-9d4c-4d77-a4c0-105c43e3f25a/download</dc:identifier>
   <uketdterms:checksum xsi:type="uketdterms:MD5">8887a9f9f36c14e6ecbd7d9a76996e25</uketdterms:checksum>
   <dc:rights>https://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved/</dc:rights>
   <dc:subject>canine histiocytic sarcoma</dc:subject>
   <dc:subject>tumour microenvironment</dc:subject>
   <dc:subject>tumour of dendritic cells</dc:subject>
</uketd_dc:uketddc>
</metadata></record></GetRecord></OAI-PMH>