Lymphatic dysfunction attenuates tumor immunity through impaired antigen presentation

Tumor growth and metastasis of cancer involve autonomous tumor cell growth and host-tumor interactions. While tumor-specific immunity has been intensively studied in vitro, dynamic roles of lymphatic transport on tumor immunity in vivo have not been fully elucidated. In this study, we examined tumor growth and anti-tumor immune responses using kCYC mice, which demonstrate severe lymphatic dysfunction. Primary tumor growth was augmented in kCYC mice (compared to wild-type mice) when B16 melanoma or EL-4 lymphoma cells were subcutaneously injected. Expression of inflammatory cytokines such as IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 as well as IL-10 expression in draining lymph nodes (LNs) was significantly reduced in kCYC mice after tumor inoculation. Moreover, decreased levels of tumor-associated antigens were detected in draining LNs in kCYC mice, together with impaired antigen presentation. CD8⁺ T cells in draining LNs derived from kCYC mice bearing B16 melanoma also showed significantly decreased cytotoxic activity in vitro. Finally, tumor suppression activity of CD8⁺ T cells derived from kCYC mice bearing B16 melanoma was reduced when adoptively transferred to naive wild-type mice. In summary, these findings suggest that lymphatic transport is essential in generating optimal tumor-specific immune responses mediated by CD8⁺ T cells.     

ANTITUMOR IMMUNITY AND VACCINE EFFECT INDUCED BY IL—12 SYNERGIZES B7—1 GENE TRANSFECTED CELLS

Cytokines play an crucial role in the induction of antitumor immunity. It have been demonstrated that cytokines such as IL-2, IL-4, IL-12 could stimulate immunity response in many basic and clinical experiment[1-3]. Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine which consists of p40 and p35 subunits. It stimulates the proliferation and activation of T lymphocyte and other killer cells and induces the production of IFN-g by these cells[4, 5]. IL-12 promotes T helper type 1 responses.…     

抗胃癌生物活性肽对荷胃癌裸鼠酯酶同工酶代谢的影响

本文观察了协同刺激分子B7-1某因导入小鼠EL-4淋巴瘤细胞后在小鼠体内诱导的抗瘤效应.结果表明,逆转录病毒(PLXSN)载体重组的小鼠B7-1基因表达质粒导入小鼠EL-4淋巴瘤细胞,经有限稀释法克隆后获得高表达的B7-1~ EL-4细胞.B7-1~ 瘤细胞的形态,体外增殖能力及MHC Ⅰ类分子表达水平与野生型肿瘤细胞无显著差别,但致瘤性显著降低,用野生型肿瘤致死剂量接种C57BL/6小鼠完全排斥.同时免疫原性明显增强,以X-线灭活的B7-1~ 肿瘤细胞免疫后小鼠获得了对随后致死剂量野生型细胞攻击的免疫保护作用.以X-线灭活的肿瘤细胞作为瘤苗进行实验性免疫治疗,对早期(接种7天)形成的肿瘤有一定的治疗效果,但时晚期(接种14天)肿瘤.B7-1和B7-1~ 瘤细胞都未显示出明显的治疗效果.上述结果提示肿瘤细胞表达B7-1分子可有效激发机体的抗肿瘤免疫应答.     

GM-CSF gene or B7-1 gene modified murine EL-4 cells vaccine

Since 1990, gene transduced tumor vaccine has been studied. Many articles reported that tumor cells transduced with some cytokine or costimulatory molecule could induce system antitumor immunity[1,2] In this study, EL-4 lymphoma was transduced with recombinant retrovirus containing the murine GM-CSF gene and B7-1 gene, respectively. The effect of gene transduction on antitumor immunity was investigated.MATERIALS AND METHODSMice and Cell Lines Female C57BL/6 mice were bought from …     

Induction of systemic antitumor immunity by gene transfer of mammalian heat shock protein 70.1 into tumors in situ.

Heat shock proteins (hsps) chaperone cytosolic peptides, forming complexes that stimulate antitumor immunity. Hsps facilitate signal 1 in the two-signal model of T-cell costimulation, whereas cell adhesion molecules such as B7.1 provide secondary (signal 2) costimulatory signals. B7.1 gene transfer into tumors in situ has been shown to eradicate small (<0.3 cm in diameter) tumors in mice, and induce systemic antitumor immunity, but is ineffective against larger tumors. We examine whether mammalian hsps, as facilitators of T-cell costimulation, also exhibit this ability, and whether simultaneously stimulating both signal 1 (hsp-facilitated antigen presentation) and signal 2 (B7.1-mediated costimulation) enhances antitumor immunity compared to that achieved with either monotherapy. Prophylactic vaccination of mice with an hsp preparation from an EL-4 lymphoma weakly retarded tumor growth, to the same extent as that achieved with a single EL-4-derived peptide (AQHPNAELL), previously shown to induce antitumor immunity establishing that a preparation of EL-4 hsp-peptide complexes has antitumor activity. Here we show that injection of rat hsp70.1 into mouse tumors in situ causes the complete eradication of tumors, and generates potent systemic antitumor immunity mediated by CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Unexpectedly, simultaneous gene transfer of hsp70.1 and B7.1 compromised the efficacy of hsp-mediated tumor rejection--a problem which could be partially overcome by the timed delivery of hsp70.1 and B7.1. Thus, gene transfer of hsp70 into tumors can be employed to generate potent systemic antitumor immunity, but further consideration is required if this approach is to be successfully combined with immunotherapies employing other T-cell costimulators.     

树突状细胞与髓性白血病的免疫治疗 *

目的：我们应用逆转录病毒构建了ＩＬ－１２,Ｂ－７和ＧＭ－ＣＳＦ表达载体,以研究基因修的肿瘤细胞的癌疫苗作用。方法：将３种表达载体分别转染ＥＬ－４胞腺瘤细胞并研究了该基因导入细胞的抗肿瘤免疫效果。结果：当接种子ＥＬ４／ＩＬ－１２细胞后,在Ｃ５７ＰＬ／６同系鼠中其基因导入细胞的肿瘤原性比较ＥＬ４／Ｗｔ和ＥＬ－４／Ｎｅｏ组明显减少（Ｐ〈０．０１）。在ＥＬ４／ＩＬ－１２被排斥后,体内试验中诱发了实验动物抗     

AAV–sBTLA facilitates HSP70 vaccine-triggered prophylactic antitumor immunity against a murine melanoma pulmonary metastasis model in vivo

Activation of the BTLA–HVEM co-inhibitory signaling pathway impairs antitumor immunity. Our previous study demonstrated that the extracellular domain of murine BTLA (the soluble form of BTLA) can facilitate HSP70 vaccine-triggered antitumor immunity by blocking BTLA–HVEM interactions in a murine TC-1 non-metastatic tumor model. However, it is unknown whether this strategy has beneficial effects on highly malignant metastatic tumors, such as melanoma. To address this question, we expressed the soluble form of BTLA (sBTLA) in combination with HSP70 vaccine and examined the resulting antitumor activity in a melanoma pulmonary metastasis model. A recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector was used for the sBTLA gene delivery because of its high transfection efficiency and low toxicity. In vitro expression of AAV–sBTLA enhanced lymphocyte activation and induced specific cytotoxicity against B16F1 murine melanoma cells, while in vivo administration of AAV–sBTLA plus HSP70 vaccine by tail vein injection exerted a limited, late-stage antitumor effect against the existing B16F1 cells. However, the combination treatment generated a potent prophylactic antitumor response in the melanoma lung metastasis model in B6 mice. In this case, most of the metastatic foci were inhibited, and mouse survival was prolonged. Furthermore, the Th1 cytokines IL-2 and IFN-γ were up-regulated, while the negative regulatory molecules IL-10 and TGF-β were down-regulated. The number of regulatory T cells also decreased in the tumor environment. Therefore, AAV–sBTLA plus HSP70 vaccine may have therapeutic potential for the prevention of metastatic melanoma.     

GM-CSF and B7-1 (CD80) co-stimulatory signals co-operate in the induction of effective anti-tumor immunity in syngeneic mice

B7-1 (CD80) co-stimulatory molecule gene–transduced Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) cells (LLC/B7 cells) resulted in remarkable loss of tumorigenicity in syngeneic C57BL/6 mice (87.5% rejection) compared to B7-negative, wild-type LLC (LLC/wt) cells (0% rejection). However, mice that had rejected LLC/B7 cells developed almost no systemic immunity protective against challenge with wild-type tumor cells after 4 weeks (11.8% rejection). Enhancement of MHC class I (H-2K^b) expression of LLC/B7 cells with in vitro interferon-γ treatment did not result in enhancement of protective immunity. In vivo depletion assay revealed that abrogation of tumorigenicity in LLC/B7 depended on CD8⁺ T cells but not on CD4⁺ T cells. However, vaccination of C57BL/6 mice with irradiated LLC cells transduced with GM-CSF (LLC/GM) led to the induction of potent, specific immunity against challenge with the LLC/wt cells after 2 weeks (80.8% rejection). Next, we established a double transfectant of LLC cells expressing both B7-1 and GM-CSF (LLC/GM + B7). The tumorigenicity of these clonal cells was also remarkably suppressed (90% rejection) to the same degree as LLC/B7, whereas that of LLC/GM was not suppressed (0% rejection). Interestingly, mice that had rejected LLC/GM+B7 cells developed enhanced protective immunity against challenge with LLC/wt cells after 4 weeks (55.6% rejection) compared to the results of LLC/B7 cells (11.8%). To evaluate whether co-expression of GM-CSF and B7-1 enabled the tumor cells to activate cytotoxic T cells more efficiently than B7-1 alone, we performed an in vitro killing assay. We found that immunization with LLC/GM+B7 cells resulted in a 3-fold stronger cytotoxic response than that with LLC/B7. Our data indicate that co-transfection of the B7-1 co-stimulatory molecule and GM-CSF genes may be more effective for the induction of stronger protective immunity in this experimental system. Int. J. Cancer 73:556–561, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

CD4+ T cells play a crucial role for lenalidomide in vivo anti-tumor activity in murine multiple myeloma

Lenalidomide modulates the host immune response against myeloma via multiple actions. Although these effects have been elucidated in vitro, the central action of lenalidomide-mediated anti-myeloma immune response in vivo is not clear. To investigate its immune action in vivo, we selected the murine myeloma cell line 5TGM1, which is resistant to direct tumoricidal effects of lenalidomide in vitro and in immunodeficient mice, but sensitive to lenalidomide treatment in 5TGM1-bearing immunocompetent mice. Depletion of CD4⁺ T cells, but not NK cells, B cells, or CD8⁺ T cells, deprived lenalidomide of its therapeutic effects on 5TGM1-bearing immunocompetent mice. Lenalidomide significantly increased the numbers of IFN-γ-secreting CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cells but had no effects on NK cells and B cells in this mouse model. Lenalidomide slightly decreased the number of CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ T cells but increased perforin expression in CD8⁺ T cells in vivo. Using this mouse model for investigation of anti-tumor immune action of lenalidomide, we demonstrated that lenalidomide facilitated a type-1 anti-tumor immune response in vivo. The CD4⁺ T cell subset may play a critical role in the lenalidomide-mediated anti-myeloma immune response in vivo.     

In vivo enhancement of antitumor immunity by interleukin 2-rich lymphokines

The ability of interleukin 2 (IL-2) to enhance in vivo antitumor immunity has been evaluated in the line 1 alveolar cell carcinoma (L1) model of BALB/c mice. A crude supernatant from phorbol myristate acetate exposed EL-4 cells rich in IL-2 plus other lymphokines (EL-4 IL-2), a concanavalin A-induced supernatant from murine splenocytes (Con A IL-2), and recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) provided by Biogen were tested. Mice were immunized with a cloned population of L1 cells (10(6) irradiated L1 cells given s.c. in the left inguinal region) followed by s.c. injections of EL-4 IL-2, Con A IL-2, or rIL-2 given to the same site. Two immunizations of L1 cells each followed by IL-2 administration were given prior to challenge with live L1 cells s.c. on the right chest wall. Mice receiving EL-4 IL-2 survived significantly longer than those receiving L1 cells only. Daily administration of EL-4 IL-2 for 7 days after the last L1 immunization was significantly better than 3 days (P less than 0.01) which in turn was significantly better than 1 day (P less than 0.05). Among the doses tested (normalized in vitro to the Biologic Response Modifiers Program IL-2 standard) 404 units of IL-2/injection was optimal. The EL-4 IL-2 had to be injected adjacent to the site of L1 cells; s.c. injection at a distant site or i.p. was not effective. When rIL-2 or Con A IL-2 was substituted for EL-4 IL-2, survival was not prolonged; however, if Con A IL-2 (low IL-2 levels) was supplemented with rIL-2 to 404 units of IL-2, it augmented immunity as well as 404 units of EL-4 IL-2. The data suggest that IL-2 is not the only lymphokine active in augmenting antitumor immunity induced by L1 cells. Some preliminary experiments indicate that a multilymphokine approach may have potential clinical relevance.     

The disaggregation,separation and identification of cells from irradiated and unirradiated EMT6 mouse tumors

A mixture of enzymes has been used to disaggregate experimental mouse tumor #6 (EMT6) tumors grown in BALB/c mice. Cell yields of 5 × 10⁷-10⁸ dye-excluding cells per gram of tumor and in vitro clonogenicities of about 10% have been achieved. The STAPUT procedure, which differentiates cells primarily according to size by sedimentation at unit gravity, has been used to separate two main populations of cells, those which are host derived and those which are clonogenic in vitro and in vivo. The separated cells were 45% EMT6, 35% macrophages and 20% lymphocytes. The host cells may have some antitumor (EMT6) properties which can be assayed in vitro. The effects of in vivo radiation have been assayed in vitro. The size distributions of hypoxic tumor cells (those which survive 2000 tad of in vivo irradiation) was similar to well-oxygenated ones and this suggests that EMT6 tumor cells may not be severely hypoxic for long times.     

Anti-4-1BB antibody-based combination therapy augments antitumor immunity by enhancing CD11c+CD8+ T cells in renal cell carcinoma

To improve the potential treatment strategies of incurable renal cell carcinoma (RCC), which is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the present study established a combination therapy with immunostimulatory factor (ISTF) and anti-4-1BB monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to augment the antitumor response in a murine RCC model. ISTF isolated from Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans stimulates macrophages, dendritic cells and B cells to produce IL-6, TNF-α, nitric oxide and major histocompatibility complex class II expression. 4-1BB (CD137) is expressed in activated immune cells, including activated T cells, and is a promising target for cancer immunotherapy. The administration of anti-4-1BB mAbs promoted antitumor immunity via enhancing CD11c⁺CD8⁺ T cells. The CD11c⁺CD8⁺ T cells were characterized by high killing activity and IFN-γ-producing ability, representing a phenotype of active effector cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The present study showed that combination therapy with ISTF and anti-4-1BB mAbs promoted partial tumor regression with established RCC, but monotherapy with ISTF or anti-4-1BB mAbs did not. These effects were speculated to be caused by the increase in CD11c⁺CD8⁺ T cells in the spleen and tumor, and IFN-γ production. These insights into the effector mechanisms of the combination of ISTF and anti-4-1BB mAbs may be useful for targeting incurable RCC.     

Inhibitory effects of B cells on antitumor immunity

B-cell functions in antitumor immunity are not well understood. In this study, we evaluated the role of B cells in the development of antitumor immunity using Friend murine leukemia virus gag-expressing mouse EL-4 (EL-4 gag), D5 mouse melanoma, or MCA304 mouse sarcoma cells. To screen tumors for susceptibility to B-cell-deficient immune environments, spleen cells from naive C57BL/6 [wild-type (WT)] and B-cell knockout (BKO) mice were cultured with irradiated tumor cells in vitro. When cells were stimulated with EL-4 gag or D5 (but not MCA304 tumors), IFN-gamma production from CD8 T cells and natural killer cells was markedly decreased in WT compared with BKO cultures. IFN-gamma production was correlated with CD40 ligand expression on the tumor and inversely with interleukin-10 (IL-10) production by B cells. Sorted WT B cells produced more IL-10 than CD40 knockout (CD40KO) B cells when cocultured with EL-4 gag or D5 (but not MCA304). IFN-gamma production by BKO cells was reduced by the addition of sorted naive WT B cells (partially by CD40KO B cells) or recombinant mouse IL-10. In vivo tumor progression mirrored in vitro studies in that WT mice were unable to control tumor growth whereas EL-4 gag and D5 tumors (but not MCA304) were eliminated in BKO mice. Robust in vivo antitumor CTLs developed only in BKO tumor-challenged mice. Our studies provide the first mechanistic basis for the concept that B-cell depletion could therapeutically enhance antitumor immune responses to certain tumors by decreasing IL-10 production from B cells.     

Transgenic expression of IL-33 activates CD8 T cells and NK cells and inhibits tumor growth and metastasis in mice

IL-33 is a multifunctional cytokine in immune regulation that activates Th1 cells, Th2 cells, CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells. Our study showed that transgenic expression of IL-33 attenuated tumor metastasis in the B16 melanoma and Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) metastatic models. The percentages and cytotoxicity of CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells and their infiltration into the tumor tissues were significantly increased by the transgenic expression of IL-33 in tumor-bearing mice. Treatment with recombinant IL-33 could also increase the cytotoxicity of CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells in vitro. In addition, depletion of CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells using anti-CD8 or anti-asialo GM1 antibody abolished the pulmonary metastasis inhibition mediated by IL-33. Furthermore, IL-33 stimulated the activation of NF-κB and increased CD69 expression, which is a marker of the activated form of the two cell subsets, in CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells. Our results suggest that IL-33 stimulated NF-κB signaling and promoted the proliferation, activation and infiltration of CD8⁺ T cells and NK cells, which resulted in the inhibition of pulmonary metastasis in B16 melanoma and LLC mice models.     

Suppression of Anti-tumor CD4+ T Cell Responsiveness in the Tumor-bearing State and Its Recovery in in vitro Culture Free of Tumor Burden

We investigated whether the responsiveness of anti-tumor CD4⁺ T cells suppressed in the tumor-bearing state is reversed in conditions free of tumor burden. Spleen cells from BALB/c mice bearing a syngeneic tumor (CSA1M) 1–3 wk after inoculation with CSA1M cells produced interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-4 upon in vitro culture without addition of exogenous tumor antigens. This lymphokine production was achieved through collaboration between anti-CSA1M CD4⁺ T cells and antigen-presenting cells (APC) that had been pulsed with CSA1M tumor antigens in vivo in the tumor-bearing state. However, spleen cells from late (8–10 wk) tumor-bearing stages produced reduced levels of lymphokine production despite the presence of comparable proportions of CD4⁺ T cells. Because APC in these cell populations exhibited enhanced capacities to present tumor antigens, reduced responsiveness was ascribed to the dysfunction of CD4⁺ T cells themselves. When spleen cells from early tumor-bearing mice were preincubated for 1–2 days and recultured in fresh medium, the magnitude of lymphokine production by these cells was not changed. In contrast, the same protocol of preincubation and reculture for cells from late tumor-bearing mice resulted in the recovery of anti-tumor lymphokine-producing capacity. The recovered capacity was comparable to or slightly higher than that expressed by cells from early tumor-bearing stages. Since the CD4⁺ T cell content did not significantly differ before and after preincubation, enhanced lymphokine production was due to the recovered responsiveness of anti-tumor CD4⁺ helper T cells. The recovery of anti-tumor responsiveness was also induced in vivo by tumor removal at the late tumor-bearing stage: spleen cells from mice 2–4 wk after tumor resection efficiently produced IL-2 and IL-4. These results indicate that the immunodysfunction of anti-tumor CD4⁺ T cells induced in the tumor-bearing state is reversible because release from tumor burden either by preincubation in vitro or by tumor removal in vivo results in almost complete recovery of the potent anti-tumor responsiveness initially expressed.     

Celecoxib promotes the efficacy of STING-targeted therapy by increasing antitumor CD8+ T-cell functions via modulating glucose metabolism of CD11b+Ly6G+ cells

Recent studies have shown that activation of the cGAS-STING pathway is a key process in antitumor immune responses and various kinds of STING agonists have been developed for cancer immunotherapy. Despite promising preclinical studies, preliminary clinical results have shown only a modest effect of STING agonists. There is therefore a need to develop more effective treatment strategies. Based on previous observations that COX-2 is frequently overexpressed not only in a variety of cancers but also in tumor myeloid cells and that it suppresses antitumor immunity and promotes tumor survival by producing PGE2, we investigated the antitumor effects of combination therapy with a STING agonist cGAMP and the selective COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib in mouse models. Combination treatment with cGAMP and celecoxib inhibited tumor growth compared with either monotherapy, and the combination therapy induced both local and systemic antitumor immunity. cGAMP treatment decreased PD-1 expression on tumor-infiltrating T-cells and enhanced T-cell activation in tumor-draining lymph nodes regardless of the presence of celecoxib. Meanwhile, although celecoxib treatment did not alter the frequency of CD4⁺CD25⁺Foxp3⁺ regulatory T-cells, it enhanced the expression of costimulatory molecules and glycolysis-associated genes in tumor-infiltrating CD11b⁺Ly6G⁺ cells. Moreover, we also found that celecoxib decreased lactate efflux and increased the frequency of IFN-γ- and TNF-α-producing CD8⁺ T-cells in the tumor microenvironment. Taken together, our findings suggest that combined treatment with celecoxib may be an effective strategy to improve the antitumor efficacy of STING agonists.     

Interleukin-27 re-educates intratumoral myeloid cells and down-regulates stemness genes in non-small cell lung cancer

Current therapies for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) still fail to significantly increase its survival rate. Here we asked whether Interleukin(IL)-27, which has revealed powerful antitumor activity and is toxicity-free in humans, is a promising therapeutic choice for NSCLC patients.IL-27''s effects were tested on Adenocarcinoma (AC) and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) cell lines and xenograft models. IL-27Receptor(R) expression was assessed in lung tissues from 78 NSCLC patients.In vitro, IL-27 was ineffective on cancer cell proliferation or apoptosis, but fostered CXCL3/GROγ/MIP2β expression. In vitro and in vivo, IL-27 down-regulated stemness-related genes, namely SONIC HEDGEHOG in AC cells, and OCT4A, SOX2, NOTCH1, KLF4 along with Nestin, SNAI1/SNAIL, SNAI2/SLUG and ZEB1, in SCC cells. In vivo, IL-27 hampered both AC and SCC tumor growth in association with a prominent granulocyte- and macrophage-driven colliquative necrosis, CXCL3 production, and a reduced pluripotency- and EMT-related gene expression. Myeloablation of tumor-bearing hosts mostly abolished IL-27''s antitumor effects. In clinical samples, IL-27R expression was found in AC, SCC, pre-cancerous lesions and tumor infiltrating myeloid cells, and correlated with advanced stages of disease.Our data suggest that even immunocompromised or advancer NSCLC patients may benefit from IL-27''s antitumor properties based on its ability to drive myeloid cells towards antitumor activities, and down-regulate stemness- and EMT-related genes in cancer cells.     

Antitumor enhancement by adoptive transfer of tumor antigen primed,inactivated MHC-haploidentical lymphocytes

The present study investigated the antitumor effects by adoptive transfer of tumor antigen primed, inactivated MHC-haploidentical lymphocytes in TC-1 lung cancer mouse model. Our studies revealed that the inactivated MHC-haploidentical effecter cells display the antitumor activity in vitro and target the tumor in vivo. After adoptive transferring these effecter cells, the Th1 cytokines such as IL-2 and IFN-γ are elevated in the serum; the recipient tumor-specific cytotoxic T-cells and natural killer cells are activated; tumor specific memory T cells are induced; tumor growth is inhibited and mouse survival is prolonged. The results indicate that MHC-haploidentical lymphocytes provide both effecter cells which can target the tumor cells through the identical MHC molecules and an adjuvant effects through the unmatched allogeneic MHC molecules which induces endogenous innate and adaptive antitumor immune responses.