Optimal culture conditions for the generation of natural killer cell-induced dendritic cells for cancer immunotherapy

Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines continue to be considered an attractive tool for cancer immunotherapy. DCs require an additional signal from the environment or other immune cells to polarize the development of immune responses toward T helper 1 (Th1) or Th2 responses. DCs play a role in natural killer (NK) cell activation, and NK cells are also able to activate and induce the maturation of DCs. We investigated the types of NK cells that can induce the maturation and enhanced function of DCs and the conditions under which these interactions occur. DCs that were activated by resting NK cells in the presence of inflammatory cytokines exhibited increased expression of several costimulatory molecules and an enhanced ability to produce IL-12p70. NK cell-stimulated DCs potently induced Th1 polarization and exhibited the ability to generate tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses. Our data demonstrate that functional DCs can be generated by coculturing immature DCs with freshly isolated resting NK cells in the presence of Toll-like receptor agonists and proinflammatory cytokines and that the resulting DCs effectively present antigens to induce tumor-specific T-cell responses, which suggests that these cells may be useful for cancer immunotherapy.     

Mature dendritic cells differentiated in the presence of interferon-beta and interleukin-3 prime functional antigen-specific CD8 T cells

Dendritic cell (DC)-based immunization represents a promising approach for the immunotherapy of cancer. The optimal conditions required to prepare DCs remain to be defined. Monocytes incubated in the presence of interferon (IFN)-beta and interleukin (IL)-3 give rise to a distinct type of DCs (IFN-beta/IL-3 DCs) that are particularly efficient at eliciting IFN-gamma and IL-5 production by allogeneic helper T cells. We assessed the capacity of this new type of DCs to prime antigen-specific naive CD8(+) T cells and compared them to the conventional DCs differentiated in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and IL-4 (GM-CSF/IL-4 DCs). We demonstrate that IFN-beta/IL-3 DCs matured by TLR3 or CD40 ligation efficiently prime Melan-A(26-35)-specific CD8(+) T cells in vitro, at a similar level as GM-CSF/IL-4 DCs. Activated antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells produced IFN-gamma and displayed potent cytotoxic activity against peptide-pulsed target cells. Expansion of CD8(+) T cell numbers was generally higher following priming with CD40-L than with polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) matured DCs. Cytolytic activity was induced by both maturing agents. These data indicate that IFN-beta/IL-3 DCs represent a promising cell population for the immunotherapy of cancer.     

树突状细胞体外诱导抗肿瘤血管内皮细胞特异性免疫的研究

目的:探讨肿瘤内皮细胞抗原负载的树突状细胞(DC)诱导的细胞毒性T淋巴细胞(CTL)的特异性杀伤效应。方法:采用肿瘤细胞的培养上清诱导人脐静脉血管内皮细胞(HUVEC)增殖,制备肿瘤血管衍生的内皮细胞(TdEC)。用RTPCR检测肿瘤内皮标志物(TEM)的表达。制备TdEC的冻融抗原,负载从外周血中扩增的DC,用MTS比色法检测DC刺激自体淋巴细胞增殖的效应;用LDH法检测DC诱导的CTL的特异性杀伤效应。结果:TdEC可表达TEM1和TEM8。负载TdEC抗原的DC,可显著刺激自体淋巴细胞增殖。由其诱导的CTL对TdEC具有特异性的杀伤作用。在效靶比为20∶1和10∶1时,杀伤率分别为33%和27%,高于对照组的14%和10%。结论:TdEC抗原负载的DC,在体外可有效地诱导CTL产生,并特异性地杀伤TdEC。     

The immunotherapeutic potential of dendritic cells in type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease characterized by destruction of the pancreatic islet beta cells that is mediated primarily by T cells specific for beta cell antigens. Insulin administration prolongs the life of affected individuals, but often fails to prevent the serious complications that decrease quality of life and result in significant morbidity and mortality. Thus, new strategies for the prevention and treatment of this disease are warranted. Given the important role of dendritic cells (DCs) in the establishment of peripheral T cell tolerance, DC‐based strategies are a rational and exciting avenue of exploration. DCs employ a diverse arsenal to maintain tolerance, including the induction of T cell deletion or anergy and the generation and expansion of regulatory T cell populations. Here we review DC‐based immunotherapeutic approaches to type 1 diabetes, most of which have been employed in non‐obese diabetic (NOD) mice or other murine models of the disease. These strategies include administration of in vitro‐generated DCs, deliberate exposure of DCs to antigens before transfer and the targeting of antigens to DCs in vivo. Although remarkable results have often been obtained in these model systems, the challenge now is to translate DC‐based immunotherapeutic strategies to humans, while at the same time minimizing the potential for global immunosuppression or exacerbation of autoimmune responses. In this review, we have devoted considerable attention to antigen‐specific DC‐based approaches, as results from murine models suggest that they have the potential to result in regulatory T cell populations capable of both preventing and reversing type 1 diabetes.     

Dysfunctional and short-lived subsets in monocyte-derived dendritic cells from patients with advanced cancer

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells specialized for the induction of the primary T-cell response. Tumor immunotherapy using DCs loaded with tumor antigens is under way for patients with several types of advanced malignancies. In this study, DC-like cells (Mo-DCs) were generated from peripheral blood monocytes with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4. The antigen-presenting abilities, including capture of apoptotic tumor cells, IL-12 secretion, expression of antigen-presentation-related molecules (HLA-ABC, HLA-DR, and CD80), and mixed leukocyte reaction, of Mo-DCs from 37 patients with advanced cancer (pMo-DCs) were compared to those of 20 healthy volunteers (hMo-DCs). Seven days after the initial culture, no significant difference was found in either the number or the size of Mo-DC-forming colonies between the two groups. However, most of the antigen-presenting abilities of pMo-DCs were weaker than those of hMo-DCs on day 7. On day 14, both number and size of colonies were significantly decreased in pMo-DCs but not in hMo-DCs. Interestingly, the antigen-presenting abilities of the remaining pMo-DCs gradually strengthened with time and by day 14 no significant difference was observed between pMo-DCs and hMo-DCs. These results indicate that pMo-DCs contain dysfunctional and short-lived Mo-DC subsets.     

Cancer immunotherapy using RNA-loaded dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most professional antigen-presenting cells of the immune system and are capable of initiating immune responses in vitro and in vivo. One of the great challenges in immunotherapy protocols is to introduce relevant antigens into DC for stimulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I- and class II-restricted anti-tumour or anti-viral immunity. This review will focus on the development of mRNA-loaded DC-based immunotherapy vaccines. First, several published results concerning mRNA transfection efficiency in DC are compared. Next, an overview is given for several published studies describing CD8+ and CD4+ T-cell clone activation using RNA-loaded DC. These data show that RNA-loaded DC efficiently process and present antigenic epitopes. Next, published data from in vitro T-cell activation studies using RNA-loaded DC are summarized and provide evidence that RNA-loaded DC can efficiently stimulate in vitro primary and secondary immune responses. Finally, the summarized data provide evidence that RNA-loaded DC are a promising strategy for the development of future cancer vaccination strategies.     

转染自体胃癌细胞总RNA的树突状细胞诱导个体化免疫治疗的体外实验

目的探讨转染自体胃癌细胞总RNA的树突状细胞(DC)体外介导抗胃癌的免疫效应。方法制备短期培养的原代胃癌细胞。用rhGM-CSF、rhIL-4和TNF-α体外诱导胃癌患者外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)中DC的发育和成熟,并转染自体肿瘤细胞总RNA,激活自体T细胞产生CTL,用CCK-8试剂盒检测CTL的杀伤活性。应用流式细胞术及混合淋巴细胞培养技术检测DC的免疫功能状态。用ELISA法测定IL-12和INF-γ的水平。结果转染自体肿瘤细胞总RNA的成熟DC,不仅可高表达MHC-I、II类分子及CD80、CD83和CD86协同刺激分子,并可获得高效刺激自体或异体T细胞增殖的能力。转染RNA的成熟DC,分泌IL-12的水平及其刺激产生的CTL培养上清液中INF-γ的水平显著高于单纯成熟DC及未成熟DC;且CTL对自体胃癌细胞的杀伤率显著高于异体组。结论转染自体胃癌细胞总RNA的成熟DC能够体外诱导产生对自体肿瘤细胞具有高度抗原特异性杀伤活性的CTL。     

胰腺癌患者树突状细胞诱导I型调节性T细胞的特征及其意义

为了检测胰腺癌患者树突状细胞(dendritic cells,DC)诱导I型调节性T细胞(typeⅠregulatory T cells,Tr1)的特征、功能及其临床意义。采用外周血单核细胞来源的未成熟DC,诱导同种异体初始T细胞分化为Tr1,ELISA、流式细胞仪检测Tr1细胞因子表达水平。用混合淋巴细胞反应(mixed lymphocyte reaction,MLR)检测Tr1的免疫抑制功能。结果:经胰腺癌患者DC诱导分化的Tr1分泌IL-10(P<0.05)和TGF-β(P<0.01)水平高于正常对照组。IL-10胞内染色结果也表明,分泌IL-10的Tr1在胰腺癌组明显增加(P<0.01)。胰腺癌患者DC诱导的Tr1抑制MLR增殖的能力也明显增强(P<0.01)。胰腺癌患者DC诱导同种异体Tr1分化的能力明显增强,提示过度Tr1活化可能与胰腺癌的病理形成有关。     

Potential applications of dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the professional antigen‐presenting cells of the immune system. Following infection or inflammation they undergo a complex process of maturation, and migrate to lymph nodes where they present antigens to T cells. Their decisive role in inducing immunity formed the rationale for DC immunotherapy: DCs loaded with tumor antigens are injected into cancer patients to stimulate T cells to eradicate tumors. Effective immune responses and favourable clinical outcomes have indeed been observed, but only in a minority of patients. For effective immunotherapy DCs need to traffic throughout the vascular and lymphatic system to reach the T‐cells located within lymph nodes. Though most immunotherapeutic agents are administered intravenously, DCs are predominantly administered intradermally. We observed that < 5% of intradermally administered mature DCs reach the draining lymph nodes amounting to inefficient homing. Despite this low number we could measure effective immune responses in some patients, but generally this may be too low. We demonstrated that DC maturation is a prerequisite to exert their immunostimulatory capacity in vivo. Immuno‐monitoring revealed a remarkable difference in immune responses. In patients vaccinated with immature DC the KLH responses as well as DTH reactivity against KLH and tumor‐peptides were weak and absent, respectively. In contrast, in patients vaccinated with mature DC a pronounced T cell as well a B cell response (IgG) against KLH were observed. Analysis of the response against the tumor peptides demonstrated little or no reactivity in blood. However, following intradermal administration of a delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) challenge with gp100‐ and tyrosinase‐peptide loaded DC essentially all patients vaccinated with mature DC showed a positive induration. Moreover, we showed the predictive value of the presence or absence of antigen‐specific T cells in biopsies from DTH sites. In clinically responding patients, T cells specific for the antigen preferentially accumulated in the DTH site in accordance with the applied antigen in the DTH challenge.     

Potential functional role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells in cancer immunity

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), as well as myeloid dendritic cells (mDCs), have a dual role not only in initiating immune responses but also in inducing tolerance to exogenous and endogenous antigens. Tumour antigens originate from endogenous self-antigens, which are poorly immunogenic and also subject to change during tumour progression. In general, tumour antigens derived from apoptotic cells are captured by immature mDCs, antigen presentation by which is most likely to result in immune tolerance. In contrast, tumour antigens may be taken up by pDCs through Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) via receptor-mediated endocytosis. TLR9-dependent activation of pDCs results in the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as interleukin (IL)-12 and type I interferons (IFNs) through a MyD88-dependent pathway. Type I IFNs also activate mDCs for T-cell priming. Although pDCs recruited to the tumour site are implicated in facilitating tumour growth via immune suppression, they can be released from the tumour as a result of cell death caused by primary systemic chemotherapy, and can then be activated through TLR9. Thus, synergistically with mDCs, pDCs may also play a crucial role in mediating cancer immunity. In this review, the potential functional duality and plasticity of pDCs mediated by TLR9 ligation in cancer immunity will be discussed.     

抗原致敏的DC-CIK对前列腺癌细胞DU145杀伤的作用

目的探讨抗原致敏的DC与CIK细胞共同培养后获得的DC-CIK细胞(Ag-DC-CIK)对前列腺癌细胞株DU145的杀伤作用。方法分离健康志愿者外周血单个核细胞,贴壁细胞以GM-CSF、IL-4及TNF-α诱导并加入DU145全细胞冻融抗原培养抗原致敏的DC,非贴壁细胞以IL-2、IL-1α、IFN-γ和mAb诱导培养CIK细胞,并将两种细胞共同培养6d获得Ag-DC-CIK;每隔2天计数细胞;流式细胞术检测细胞免疫表型;以共培养6d的Ag-DC-CIK作为效应细胞,以相同天数未致敏的DC-CIK和CIK细胞为对照组,DU145细胞作为靶细胞,采用MTT法分析各组杀瘤率。结果外周血单核细胞成功诱导DC,Ag-DC-CIK细胞培养6d的扩增倍数为CIK的1.69-2.56倍(P<0.05)。CIK组、DC-CIK组及Ag-DC-CIK组中CD3+CD56+细胞所占百分比分别为(19.15±1.55)%,(28.43±1.51)%和(39.12±2.29)%,依次升高(P<0.01),对前列腺癌DU-145细胞24h杀瘤率分别为(26.39±4.47)%,(46.82±5.68)%,(62.80±2.01)%,依次升高(P<0.01)。结论 Ag-DC-CIK细胞增殖活性强,对前列腺癌DU-145细胞有明显杀伤作用,强于未致敏DC-CIK细胞和CIK细胞。     

Loading of dendritic cells for immunotherapy

Dendritic cell therapy has been optimized a lot aiming to induce a strong and broad immune response in terms of the recognized epitopes by both CD8⁺ and CD4⁺ T cells and the use of the patients' complete unique set of HLA molecules. We here give an overview of our approach for antigen loading and maturation of dendritic cells and describe the consequences to evaluate the immune response after treatment as well as the Brussels experience in clinical trials.     

TLR4 is essential for dendritic cell activation and anti-tumor T-cell response enhancement by DAMPs released from chemically stressed cancer cells

The combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy is regarded as a promising approach for the treatment of certain types of cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms need to be fully investigated to guide the design of more efficient protocols for cancer chemoimmunotherapy. It is well known that danger-associated molecular patterns （DAMPs） can activate immune cells, including dendritic cells （DCs）, via Toll-like receptors （TLRs）; however, the role of DAMPs released from chemical drug-treated tumor cells in the activation of the immune response needs to be further elucidated. Here, we found that colorectal cancer （CRC） cells treated with oxaliplatin （OXA） and/or 5-fluorouracil （5-Fu） released high levels of high-mobility group box 1 （HMGB1） and heat shock protein 70 （HSP70）. After OXA/5-Fu therapy, the sera of CRC patients also exhibited increased levels of HMGB1 and HSP70, both of which are well-known DAMPs. The supernatants of dying CRC cells treated with OXA/5-Fu promoted mouse and human DC maturation, with upregulation of HLA-DR, CD80 and CD86 expression and enhancement of IL-lp, TNF-a, MIP-la, MIP-lp, RANTES and IP-IO production. Vaccines composed of DCs pulsed with the supernatants of chemically stressed CRC cells induced a more significant IFN-y-producing Thl response both in vitroand in vivo. However, the supernatants of chemically stressed CRC cells failed to induce phenotypic maturation and cytokine production in TLR4-deficient DCs, indicating an essential role of TLR4 in DAMP-induced DC maturation and activation. Furthermore, pulsing with the supernatants of chemically stressed CRC cells did not efficiently induce an IFN-y-producing Thl response in TLR4-deficient DCs. Collectively, these results demonstrate that DAMPs released from chemically stressed cancer cells can activate DCs viaTLR4 and enhance the induction of an anti-tumor T-cell immune response, delineating a clinically relevant immuno-adjuvant pathway triggered by DAMPs.     

树突状细胞在胃癌中的研究进展

树突状细胞为目前功能最强的抗原呈递细胞,是抗原捕获和抗原递呈途径中的一个关键的细胞群.树突状细胞不仅与胃癌的发生、进展及预后有关,其在胃癌治疗方面的应用也得到了肯定.     

Dendritic cells pulsed with alpha-galactosylceramide induce anti-tumor immunity against pancreatic cancer in vivo

Ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the Western world. Unfortunately, recent advances in diagnostics, staging and therapy have not resulted in significant improvements. Thus, new approaches are necessary to improve the outcome of patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer. We tested triggering of specific T lymphocytes in vivo by using the immunocompetent mouse strain C57BL/6. In the present study, we tried to enhance the anti-tumor effect against pancreatic carcinoma by supplementary triggering of NKT cells in vivo. We challenged Panc02 tumor-bearing mice by intratumoral vaccination with alpha-galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer)-loaded dendritic cells (DCs). A significant expansion of IFNgamma-producing NKT cells was observed which also correlated with decrease in tumor growth in vivo. Hence, DCs loaded with alpha-GalCer could lead to a novel treatment option for patients with pancreatic cancer.     

Harnessing human dendritic cell subsets for medicine

Summary: Immunity results from a complex interplay between the antigen-non-specific innate immune system and the antigen-specific adaptive immune system. The cells and molecules of the innate system employ non-clonal recognition receptors including lectins, Toll-like receptors, NOD-like receptors, and helicases. B and T lymphocytes of the adaptive immune system employ clonal receptors recognizing antigens or their derived peptides in a highly specific manner. An essential link between innate and adaptive immunity is provided by dendritic cells (DCs). DCs can induce such contrasting states as immunity and tolerance. The recent years have brought a wealth of information on the biology of DCs revealing the complexity of this cell system. Indeed, DC plasticity and subsets are prominent determinants of the type and quality of elicited immune responses. In this article, we summarize our recent studies aimed at a better understanding of the DC system to unravel the pathophysiology of human diseases and design novel human vaccines.     

CXCR3 expression in regulatory T cells drives interactions with type I dendritic cells in tumors to restrict CD8+ T cell antitumor immunity

1. Download : Download high-res image (210KB)
2. Download : Download full-size image

     

Enhancement of T-cell-mediated anti-tumour immunity via the ectopically expressed glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor-related receptor ligand (GITRL) on tumours

Glucocorticoid-induced tumour necrosis factor receptor-related receptor (GITR) costimulates functions of both effector and regulatory T cells. The administration of agonistic anti-GITR monoclonal antibodies efficiently enhances various T-cell-mediated immune responses; however, it is unknown to what extent the ligand of GITR (GITRL) contributes to T-cell responses. We investigated the involvement of endogenously expressed GITRL on dendritic cells and ectopically expressed GITRL on tumours in T-cell-mediated immunity. Expression of GITRL on dendritic cells in secondary lymphoid organs was limited, and treatment with anti-GITRL monoclonal antibodies did not substantially affect T-cell-mediated immunity to alloantigens, a specific protein antigen (ovalbumin), or tumour antigens. The introduction of GITRL promoted anti-tumour immunity in four tumour models. Tumour-associated GITRL greatly augmented the effector function of CD8⁺ T cells and enhanced the contribution of CD8⁺ T cells. These events reduced the crucial contribution of CD25⁺ CD4⁺ regulatory T cells, which were found to inhibit immunity against tumours lacking GITRL. Peritumoral injection of GITRL tumour vaccine efficiently inhibited the growth of established tumours. Our results suggest that the ectopic expression of GITRL in tumour cells enhances anti-tumour immunity at peripheral tumour sites. Consequently, the combined use of a GITRL tumour vaccine with methods aimed at enhancing the activation of host antigen-presenting cells in secondary lymphoid tissues may be a promising strategy for tumour immunotherapy.     

Lentiviral calnexin-modified dendritic cells promote expansion of high-avidity effector T cells with central memory phenotype

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key immune mediators for the education and activation of effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). Ex vivo manipulation of DCs is an attractive strategy in immunotherapy. The chaperone proteins are known to hold the keys to proper protein folding and antigen processing. However, little is known of the role of molecular chaperones in DC and T-cell functions. We report that DCs expressing supraphysiological levels of calnexin, a chaperone protein, via lentiviral gene transfer stimulated the expansion of high-avidity CTLs with increased central memory phenotype. Microarray RNA profiling and analyses of protein expression with flow cytometry and multiplex enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay indicated that calnexin had a global effect on DCs with up-regulation of immune modulatory signals including costimulatory molecules, cytokines, chemokines and adhesion molecules. Compared with unmodified DCs, calnexin-DCs were capable of activating T cells to exhibit increased functional avidity associated with up-regulation of CCR7 and costimulatory tumour necrosis factor receptor superfamily molecules. These findings demonstrate a prominent role of calnexin in optimizing DC immunity with potential for improving immunotherapy.     

The highly attenuated vaccinia virus strain modified virus Ankara induces apoptosis in melanoma cells and allows bystander dendritic cells to generate a potent anti-tumoral immunity

Vaccinia virus (VV) has been tested as oncolytic virus against malignant melanoma in clinical trials for more than 40 years. Until now, mainly strains comparable to viral strains used for smallpox vaccination have been probed for anti-tumoral therapy. We have shown recently that the wild-type strain Western Reserve (WR) can interfere with crucial functions of monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs). Our aim was to examine whether viral immune evasion mechanisms might be responsible for the ineffectiveness of WR-based vaccination strategies and whether the highly attenuated strain modified virus Ankara (MVA) differs from WR with respect to its possible immunostimulatory capacity after intratumoral injection. Using in vitro experiments, we compared the effect of both strains on melanoma cells and on local bystander DCs. We found that both VV-strains infected melanoma cells efficiently and caused disintegration of the actin cytoskeleton, as shown by fluorescence microscopy. In addition, both VV-strains caused apoptotic cell death in melanoma cells after infection. In contrast to MVA, WR underwent a complete viral replication cycle in melanoma cells. Bystander DCs were consecutively infected by newly generated WR virions and lost their capacity to induce allogeneic T cell proliferation. DCs in contact with MVA-infected melanoma cells retained their capacity to induce T cell proliferation. Immature DCs were capable of phagocytosing MVA-infected melanoma cells. Priming of autologous CD8(+) T cells by DCs that had phagocytosed MVA-infected, MelanA positive melanoma cells resulted in the induction of T cell clones specifically reactive against the model antigen MelanA as shown by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) analysis. We conclude that the clinical trials with oncolytic wild-type VV failed probably because of suppression of bystander DCs and consecutive suppression of T cell-mediated anti-melanoma immunity. The attenuated VV-strain MVA facilitates the generation of tumour associated antigen (TAA)-specific T cell response as it is oncolytic for melanoma cells, but non-toxic for DC, and should be a promising candidate for intralesional metastatic melanoma therapy.