Dendritic cells engineered to secrete anti-Dc R3 antibody augment cytotoxic T lymphocyte response against pancreatic cancer in vitro

AIM To investigate the enhanced cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses against pancreatic cancer (PC) in vitro induced by dendritic cells (DCs) engineered to secrete anti-DcR3 monoclonal antibody (mAb). METHODS DCs, T lymphocytes and primary PC cells were obtained from PC patients. DCs were transfected with a designed humanized anti-DcR3 monoclonal antibody heavy and light chain mRNA and/or total tumor RNA (DC-tumor-anti-DcR3 RNA or DC-total tumor RNA) by using electroporation technology. The identification, concentration and function of anti-DcR3 mAb secreted by DC-tumor-anti-DcR3 RNA were determined by western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. After co-culturing of autologous isolated PC cells with target DCs, the effects of secreting anti-DcR3 mAb on RNA-DCs' viability and apoptosis were assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Analysis of enhanced antigen-specific immune response against PC induced by anti-DcR3 mAb secreting DCs was performed using a Cr-51 releasing test. T cell responses induced by RNAloaded DCs were analyzed by measuring cytokine levels, including IFN-gamma, IL-10, IL4, TNF-alpha and IL-12. RESULTS The anti-DcR3 mAb secreted by DCs reacted with recombinant human DcR3 protein and generated a band with 35 kDa molecular weight. The secreting mAb was transient, peaking at 24 h and becoming undetectable after 72 h. After co-incubation with DCtumor- anti-DcR3 RNA for designated times, the DcR3 level in the supernatant of autologous PC cells was significantly down-regulated (P < 0.05). DCs secreting anti-DcR3 mAb could improve cell viability and slow down the apoptosis of RNA-loaded DCs, compared with DC-total tumor RNA (P < 0.01). The anti-DcR3 mAb secreted by DC-tumor-anti-DcR3 RNA could enhance the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) activity toward RNA-transfected DCs, primary tumor cells, and PC cell lines, compared with CTLs stimulated by DC-total tumor RNA or control group (P < 0.05). Meanwhile, the antigen-specific CTL responses were MHC class I-restricted. The CD4+ T cells and CD8+ T cells incubated with anti-DcR3 mAb secreting DCs could produce extremely higher level IFN-gamma and lower level IL4 than those incubated with DC-total tumor RNA or controls (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION DCs engineered to secrete anti-DcR3 antibody can augment CTL responses against PC in vitro, and the immune-enhancing effects may be partly due to their capability of down-regulating DC apoptosis and adjusting the Th1/Th2 cytokine network.

Association of Graves’ disease and Graves’ ophthalmopathy with the polymorphisms in promoter and exon 1 of cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 gene

Objective: To investigate the association of Graves’ disease and Graves’ ophthalmopathy with the C/T transition polymorphism at position –318 of promoter and the A/G transition polymorphism at position 49 of exon 1 within cytotoxic T lymphocyte associated antigen-4 (CTLA-4) gene. Methods: Thirty-three patients with ophthalmopathy of Graves’ disease, fifty-six Graves’ patients without ophthalmopathy and sixty normal subjects as control were involved in the present case-control study. The polymorphisms were evaluated by polymerase chain reaction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Com-parisons were made of gene frequencies and allele frequencies between the groups. Results: The gene frequencies of CT and allele frequencies of T were much higher in Graves’ patients with ophthalmopathy than that in the group without ophthalmopathy (P=0.020, P=0.019). The gene frequencies of GG and allele frequencies of G in patients with Graves’ disease were significantly increased as compared with control group (P=0.008, P=0.007). The data suggest that smokers with Graves’ disease seemed to be more predisposed to ophthalmopathy than non-smokers (P=0.018). Conclusion: Our results suggest that an allele of T at position –318 of promoter is associated with genetic susceptibility to Graves’ ophthalmopathy while an allele of G at position 49 of exon 1 is associated with genetic susceptibility to Graves’ disease instead. Smoking is believed to be a major risk factor for ophthalmo-pathy.

In-vitro activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes by fusion of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cells and lymphotactin gene-modified dendritic cells

AIM： To investigate the in-vitro activation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs） by fusion of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） ceils and lymphotactin gene-modified dendritic cells （DCs）. METHODS： Lymphotactin gene modified DCs （DCLptn） were prepared by lymphotactin recombinant adenovirus transduction of mature DCs which differentiated from mouse bone marrow cells by stimulation with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor （GM- CSF）, interleukin-4 （IL-4） and tumor necrosis factor alpha （TNF-α）. DCLptn and H22 fusion was prepared using 50% PEG. Lymphotactin gene and protein expression levels were measured by RT-PCR and ELISA, respectively. Lymphotactin chemotactic responses were examined by in-vitro chemotaxis assay. In-vitro activation of CTl_s by DCLptn/H22 fusion was measured by detecting CD25 expression and cytokine production after autologous T cell stimulation. Cytotoxic function of activated T lymphocytes stimulated with DCLptn/H22 cells was determined by LDH cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS： Lymphotactin gene could be efficiently transduced to DCs by adenovirus vector and showed an effective biological activity. After fusion, the hybrid DCLptn/H22 cells acquired the phenotypes of both DCLptn and H22 cells. In T cell proliferation assay, flow cytometry showed a very high CD25 expression, and cytokine release assay showed a significantly higher concentration of IFN-α, and IL-2 in DCLptn/H22 group than in DCLptn, DCLptn＋H22, DC/H22 or H22 groups. Cytotoxicity assay revealed that T cells derived from DCLptn/H22 group had much higher anti-tumor activity than those derived from DCLptn, H22, DCLptn ＋ H22, DC/H22 groups. CONCLUSION： Lymphotactin gene-modified dendritoma induces T-cell proliferation and strong CTL reaction against allogenic HCC cells. Immunization-engineered fusion hybrid vaccine is an attractive strategy in prevention and treatment of HCC metastases.

Frequencies and Characterization of HBV-specific Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes in Self-limited and Chronic Hepatitis B Viral Infection in China

Hepatitis B virus （HBV）-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs） are believed to play a major role in viral clearance and disease pathogenesis during HBV infection. To clarify the differences in host immune responses between self-limited and chronic HBV infections, we constructed three HLA-A＊0201/HBV tetramers with immunodominant epitopes of core18-27, polymerase 575-583 and envelope 335-343, and analyzed the HBV-specific CTLs in peripheral blood mononuclear cells （PBMCs） from patients infected with HBV. The frequencies and expansion ability of HBV-specific CD8＋T cells in most self-limited HBV infected individuals were higher than those in chronic HBV-infected patients. HBV-specific CD8＋T cells could be induced by in vitro peptide stimulation from chronic patients with a low level of serum HBV-DNA but not from those with a high level of serum HBV-DNA. In chronic infection, no significant correlation was found either between the frequencies of HBV-specific CD8^＋ T cells and the viral load, or between the frequencies and the levels of alanine transaminase. Our results suggested that the frequencies of HBV-specific CTLs are not the main determinant of immune-mediated protection in chronic HBV infection and immunotherapeutic approaches should be aimed at not only boosting a HBV-specific CD8^＋T response but also improving its function.

Glypican-3-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes induced by human leucocyte antigen-A*0201-restricted peptide effectively kill hepatocellular carcinoma cells in vitro

Objective: To investigate potential human leucocyte antigen(HLA)-A2-restricted epitope peptides of glypican-3(GPC3) and determine the cytotoxicity of peptidespecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes(CTLs) against hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) cells.Methods: The potential HLA-A*0201-restricted GPC3 peptides were screened using computer algorithms, T2 cell-binding affinity and stability of peptide/HLA-A*0201 complex assay. The peptide-specific CTLs were generated and their cytotoxicity against GPC3+SMMC 7721 and Hep G2 cells was detected using IFN-g based enzymelinked immunospot and lactate dehydrogenase release assays in vitro.Results: A total of six peptides were identified for bindings to HAL-A2 and the GPC3522–530 and GPC3 229–237 peptides with HLA-A*0201 molecules displayed high binding affinity and stability. The CTLs induced by the GPC3 522–530 or positive control GPC3 144–152 peptide responded to the peptide by producing IFN-g, which were abrogated by treatment with anti-HLA-A2 antibody. The GPC3 522–530-specific CTLs responded to and killed SMMC 7721 and Hep G2 cells, instead of GPC3-silenced SMMC7721 or Hep G2 cells. GPC3 522–530-specific CTLs response to HCC cells was blocked by anti-HLA-A2 antibody.Conclusions: The GPC3 522–530 peptide contains antigen-determinant and its specific CTLs can effectively kill HCC in a HLA-A2-restricted and peptide-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that this peptide may be valuable for development of therapeutic vaccine.

Relationship between serum HBV DNA level and HBV-specific, nonspecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes and natural killer cells in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Background The response of patients with chronic hepatitis B （CHB） to antiviral therapy against hepatitis B virus （HBV） is related to the base line level of HBV DNA, but the mechanism is not clear. The present study aimed to understand the possible relationship between the level of HBV DNA and HBV-specific, nonspecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTL） and natural killer （NK） cells of CHB patients and the mechanism how the HBV DNA level influences the antiviral therapeutic effect. Methods Totally 100 adult patients with CHB who were positive for HBV DNA, HBeAg and （HLA）-A2 were enrolled into this study. HBV DNA was tested by real time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction （PCR）. HBV specific and nonspecific CTL and NK cells were tested by flowcytometry. Serum alanine aminotransferase （ALT） and total bilirubin （TBil） were determined for each patient using routine biochemical tests. The 100 cases were assigned to two groups based on their HBV DNA level： group A had 48 cases, their HBV DNA level was 104-105 copies/ml, group B had 52 cases their HBV DNA level was 106-107 copies/ml. HBV specific CTL, nonspecific CTL, NK cells, ALT and TBil of the two groups were compared. Results HBV DNA level of groups A and B was （4.81±0.39） log10 copies/ml and （6.81±0.40） log10 copies/ml, respectively （t=25.32, P 〈0.001）. HBV specific CTL and NK cells of group A were significantly higher than those of group B （P 〈0.001 for both）. Nonspecific CTL of group A was significantly lower than that of group B （P 〈0.01）. ALT and TBil of group A were significantly lower than those of group B （P 〈0.01 and P 〈0.05, respectively）. Conclusions Serum HBV DNA level of patients with CHB is related to HBV specific CTL, nonspecific CTL and NK cells, which might result in inflammatory reaction of liver and cause more damage to liver function. Mechanism of HBV DNA level affecting the efficacy of anti-viral treatment may be related to the levels of HBV specific CTL and NK cells.

Effect of oxymatrine on specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte surface programmed death receptor-1 expression in patients with chronic hepatitis B

Background Oxymatrine has certain antiviral effects in the treatment of chronic hepatitis B （CHB）, but its exact mechanism is unclear. The objective of the present study was to explore oxymatrine＇s antiviral mechanism by studying its effect on the hepatitis B virus （HBV） specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） surface programmed death receptor-1 （PD-1） expression in CHB patients. Methods Sixty-five CHB patients who had HBV DNA≥104 copies/mL positive HBeAg, positive human leukocyte antigen （HLA）-A2, alanine aminotransferase （ALT） 〉2xupper limit of normal value （ULN） were randomly divided into two groups： treatment group （n=33）, treated with an intravenous infusion of 600 mg oxymatrine in glucose solution once a day for a month, then with a 200 mg oxymatrine oral capsule three times a day, and a 200 mg silibin meglumine tablet three times a day; control group （n=32） patients were treated only with silibin meglumine tablet, method and dosage were the same as those of treatment group. Three months later, peripheral blood HBV-specific CTL surface PD-1 expression, HBV-specific CTL level, HBV DNA, HBeAg, and results of liver function tests were analyzed and compared. Results Three months post-treatment, in the treatment group, peripheral blood HBV-specific CTL surface PD-1 expression （（19.42±15.94）%） decreased significantly compared to the pretreatment level （（31.30±24.06）%; P 〈0.05）, and decreased significantly compared to that of control group three months after treatment （（29.45±21.62）%; P 〈0.05）. HBV-specific CTL level （（0.42±0.07）%） significantly increased compared with the pretreatment （（0.29±0.15）%; P 〈0.01）, and the control group posttreatment level was （0.31±0.15）% （P 〈0.05）. HBV DNA level in 11 cases became negative （HBV DNA〈500 copies/ml, 33.33%）, which was higher than that of the control group after treatment （two cases, 6.25%; X2=7.45, P 〈0.01）, HBeAg of nine cases turned negative （27.27%）, which was higher than that of the control group after treatment （one case, 3.13%; X2=7.27, P 〈0.01）. Conclusion Oxymatrine could downregulate peripheral blood HBV-specific CTL surface PD-1 expression in CHB patients, increase HBV-specific CTL level, which may be one of the possible mechanisms by which oxymatrine clears or inhibits HBV in CHB Datients.

Tracking in vivo migration and distribution of antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes by 5,6-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester staining during cancer immunotherapy

Background Killing of targeted tumors during adoptive cell transfer therapy is associated with cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） numbers,immunophenotype,tumor-specificity,and in vivo residence time,migration,and distribution.Therefore,tracing in vivo persistence,migration,and distribution of CTLs is important for cancer immunotherapy.Methods Optimal staining concentration for CTL proliferation was determined by cell counting kit-8 （CCK-8） assay and killing efficiencies of CTLs or carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester （CFSE）-labeled melanoma antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CFSE-CTLs） for malignant melanoma cells in vitro were compared.Additionally,CFSE-CTLs were intravenously transfused to mice receiving B16 melanoma,and their residence time,migration,and distribution in vivo were observed by measuring fluorescence intensities of CFSE-CTLs per gram of tissue （％FI/g） in various tissues and analyzing tumor/non-tumor （T/NT） values.Anti-tumor effects of transferred CTLs and correlation between ％FI/g and D-value of tumor size were analyzed.Results Five-micromolar CFSE was optimal for labeling CTLs with minimal cytotoxicity.No significant difference occurred between CTLs and CFSE-CTLs for tumor cell killing （P=0.849） or interleukin-2 （P=0.318） and interferon-y （P=0.201）levels.Distribution of CTLs in vivo varied with time.A negative correlation between ％FI/g in tumors and D-value of tumor sizes by Spearman correlation analysis was observed.CTLs were recruited to and killed tumors from 6 hours to 3 days after cell infusion.CTLs were observed up to three weeks later in the tumor,liver,kidneys,and spleen; this was related to the abundant blood supply or the nature of immune organs.Conclusions CCK-8 assay is a novel method to select optimal CFSE staining concentrations.Fluorescence intensity of transferred CTLs reflects their killing efficiency of tumors.CFSE fluorescent markers can trace in vivo CTL persistence,migration,and distribution because of its stability,long half-life,and low toxicity.

Generation of cytotoxic T lymphocytes specific for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia family-shared peptides derived from immunoglobulin heavy chain framework region

Background Immunoglobulin heavy chain variable region （IgHV） is a well-characterized tumor antigen for B-cell malignancies. It can function as a target for T cell-mediated immune response. Clinical trials of IgHV protein vaccines against lymphoma have demonstrated induction of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） responses. However, complementary determining regions-based individual vaccines have disadvantages for wide clinical application. Although a recent study demonstrated that immunogenic peptides are derived from framework regions （FR） shared among patients with B-cell lymphoma, how to choose the appropriate peptides for each patient is still unsolved. The aim of this study was to investigate whether immunoglobulin heavy chain FR-derived peptides shared in each IgHV family are potential CTL epitopes presented by B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia （B-ALL）. Such CTL epitopes might be beneficial to shifting vaccination strategies against B-ALL from individual specificity to family specificity.Methods Seven IgHV gene families were amplified respectively by PCR and sequenced directly from 71 childhood B-ALL cases. Bioinformatics was applied in analyzing characteristics of sequences available and predicting HLA-A^＊0201-restricted CTL epitopes for each IgHV family. An antigen-specific T cell expansion system was used to generate peptide-specific CTLs. The cytotoxicity of CTLs against B-ALL cells was assessed in the lactate dehydrogenase release assay. Results Complete IgHV rearrangements were identified in all of the 71 B-ALL cases. All of 40 sequences available showed ≥98% homology with the nearest germline IgHV genes, indicating IgHV genes in B-ALL of germline nature. Twelve nonapeptides of high HLA-A^＊0201-binding scores were obtained from 26 productive IgHV protein sequences. Ten （83%） of the peptides were located in FR1 and FR3 shared among the corresponding IgHV family. CTLs specific for the peptide QLVQSGAEV located in FR1 （3-11） shared among the IgHV1 family could be successfully generated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of two HLA-A^＊0201＋ healthy donors in vitro and were capable of killing HLA-matched B-ALL cell clones belonging to the IgHV1 family. Conclusion Anti-B-ALL CTLs against immunoglobulin heavy chain FR-derived peptides have family-specific cytotoxicity.

Demethylating agent decitabine induces autologous cancer testis antigen specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes in vivo

Background Cancer testis antigens （CTAs） are a novel group of tumor associated antigens.Demethylating agent decitabine was reported to be able to up-regulate CTAs through its hypomethylation mechanism,thus enhance the immunogenicity of leukemia cells.However,few researches have ever focused on the questions that whether this immunostimulatory effect of decitabine could induce autologous CTA specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs） in vivo,and if so,whether this effect contributes to disease control.In this study,we aimed to show that decitabine could induce specific autologous CTLs against some mouse CTAs in leukemia cells in vitro and in vivo.Methods Several mouse CTAs were screened by RT-PCR.CTL specific to one of the CTAs named P1A was detected and sorted by P1A specific dimer by flow cytometry.The activity of specific CTLs was measured by real time RT-PCR.Results We firstly screened expression of some CTAs in mouse leukemia cells before and after decitabine treatment and found that decitabine treatment did up-regulate expression of many CTAs.Then we measured the CTLs＇ activity specific to a mouse CTA P1A in vivo and showed that this activity increased after decitabine treatment.Finally,we sorted these in vivo induced P1A specific CTLs by flow cytometry and demonstrated their cytotoxicity against decitabine treated leukemia cells.Conclusions Our study showed the autologous immune response induced by decitabine in vivo.And more importantly,we firstly proved that this response may contribute to disease control.We believe that this immunostimulatory effect is another anti-cancer mechanism of decitabine,and this special effect would inspire new applications of decitabine in the field of leukemia treatment in the future.

Clinical evaluation of sintilimab in conjunction with bevacizumab for advanced colorectal cancer with microsatellite stable-type after failure of first-line therapy

BACKGROUND At present,immune checkpoint inhibitors(ICIs)remain the 1st-line therapy me-thod for patients suffering from high microsatellite instability/deficient misma-tch repair metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC).However,ICI treatments demon-strate minimal therapeutic efficacy against microsatellite stable(MSS)/proficient mismatch repair(pMMR)CRC.This is mainly because this type of tumor is a“cold tumor”with almost no lymphocyte infiltration.Anti-angiogenic drugs have been found to improve the immune microenvironment by promoting many immune cells to enter the immune microenvironment,thereby exerting anti-tumor effects.AIM To investigate the effects of ICIs combined with bevacizumab monoclonal anti-body on tumor immune cells in MSS/pMMR advanced CRC patients with first-line treatment failure.METHODS A total of 110 MSS/pMMR patients with advanced CRC after first-line treatment failure in the Affiliated Hospital of Qinghai University were enrolled for a ran-domized controlled trial.In short,patients in the experimental group(n=60)were given sintilimab plus bevacizumab for 4 cycles,and those in the control group(n=50)patients were treated with FOLFIRI combined with bevacizumab for 4 cycles.The expression levels of cluster of differentiation(CD)8(+)T cells,tumor-associated macrophages(TAMs),and cancer-associated fibroblasts(CAFs)were comprehensively evaluated to assess the effects of sintilimab combined with bevacizumab on MSS/pMMR advanced CRC sufferers following failure of 1st-line therapy.RESULTS The positive expression rates of CD8(+)T lymphocytes(30%vs 50%),TAMs(23.30%vs 60%),and CAFs(23.30%vs 50%)before and after treatment in both groups exhibited statistical significance(P<0.05).Additionally,the therapeutic effects of both groups(partial remission:26.67%vs 10%;objective response rate:26.70%vs 10%)were significantly different(P<0.05).Although the experimental group showed a higher progression-free survival,median progression-free survival,and disease control rate than the control group,the difference was not statist-ically significant.Moreover,no significant difference in the occurrence rate of drug-related adverse reactions after treatment between the two groups was found(P>0.05).CONCLUSION ICIs in combination with bevacizumab can not only improve the patient’s prognosis but also yield safe and controllable adverse drug reactions in patients suffering from MSS/pMMR advanced CRC after failure to a 1st-line therapy.

Effect of Telbivudine tablet combined Jianpi Bushen recipe on HBV specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte and HBe Ag seroconversion in patients with HBe Ag positive chronic hepatitis B

Objective To explore the effect of Telbivudine(LDT)Tablet combined with Jianpi Bushen Recipe(JBR)on serum hepatitis B virus(HBV)specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte(CTL)and HBe Ag seroconversion in chronic hepatitis B(CHB)patients.Methods Totally90 HBe Ag-positive and human leukocyte antigen(HLA)-A2 positive CHB patients were randomly assigned to

Fixed-Tumor Vaccine: A Practical Formulation with Cytokine-Microspheres for Protective and Therapeutic Antitumor Immunity

Objective: To study the protective and therapeutic antitumor immunity against hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with the fixed-tumor vaccine.Methods: A tumor vaccine consisting of fixed tumor cells or fixed tumor fragments combined with sustained-releasers of cytokines and a non-toxic adjuvant was developed. C57BL/6J mice were immunized intra-dermally with the vaccine on day 0 and 7, followed by intrahepatic challenge with live Hepa 1–6 cells.Results: All of 15 nonimmunized control mice developed the hepatoma. Protection of mice immunized with fixed Hepa 1–6 cells and both of IL-2/GM-CSF microspheres or further mixed with TiterMax Gold reached 80% and 87%, respectively. Mass growth of the established tumors, vaccinated twice at 5 mm in diameter, the tumor of control animals continued to grow. However, 7–10 days after the second injection of the tumor vaccine, the tumor growth was suppressed in 9 of 10 mice and then markedly reduced. Complete tumor regression was observed in 60% (6/10) of mice. Splenocytes from the control mice were not able to lyse target Hepa 1–6 cells and other tumor cells. In contrast splenocytes from the vaccinated mice exhibited a 41% lytic activity against the Hepa 1–6 cells tested at an effector/target (E/T) ratio of 5, whereas they did not exhibited such activity against the melanoma cells (B16-F1), Lewis lung carcinoma cells (LLC), renal carcinoma cells (Renca), and bladder carcinoma cells (MBT-2). The cytotoxic activity was inhibited by the treatment with anti-CD3, anti-CD8, and anti-MHC-class I monoclonal antibodies but not with anti-CD4 and anti-MHC-class II antibodies. In the Phase-I clinical trial, vaccination of HCC patients with the autologous vaccine is a well-tolerated treatment and induces fixed tumor fragment-specific immunity.Conclusion: Fixed HCC vaccination elicited protective and therapeutic antitumor immunity against HCC. The tumor vaccine elicited antigen specific CTL response lysis of the target HCC was mediated by the typical MHC-class I restricted CD8+ T cells. Key words cancer vaccine - cytotoxic T lymphocyte - immunotherapy - hepatoma

Depletion of CD25^+CD4^+T cells (Tregs) enhances the HBV-specific CD8^+ T cell response primed by DNA immunization

AIM: Persistent hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is characterized by a weak CD8+ T cell response to HBV. Immunotherapeutic strategies that overcome tolerance and boost these suboptimal responses may facilitate viral clearance in chronically infected individuals. Therefore, we examined whether CD25+CD4+ regulatory T (Treg) cells might be involved in a inhibition of CD8+T cell priming or in the modulation of the magnitude of the 'peak' antiviral CD8+ T cell response primed by DNA immunization. METHODS: B10.D2 mice were immunized once with plasmid pCMV-S. Mice received 500 μg of anti-CD25 mAb injected intraperitoneally 3 d before DNA immunization to deplete CD25+ cells. Induction of HBV-specific CD8+ T cells in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) was measured by S28-39 peptide loaded DimerX staining and their function was analyzed by intracellular IFN-γ staining. RESULTS: DNA immunization induced HBV-specific CD8+ T cells. At the peak T cell response (d 10), 7.1±2.0% of CD8+ T cells were HBV-specific after DNA immunization, whereas 12.7±3.2% of CD8+ T cells were HBV-specific in Treg-depleted mice, suggesting that DNA immunization induced more antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in the absence of CD25+ Treg cells (n = 6, P<0.05). Similarly, fewer HBV specific memory T cells were detected in the presence of these cells (1.3±0.4%) in comparison to Treg-depleted mice (2.6±0.9%) on d 30 after DNA immunization (n - 6, P<0.01). Both IFN-γ production and the avidity of the HBV-specific CD8+ T cell response to antigen were higher in HBV-specific CD8+ T cells induced in the absence of Treg cells. CONCLUSION: CD25+ Treg cells suppress priming and/or expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells during DNA immunization and the peak CD8+ T cell response is enhanced by depleting this cell population. Furthermore, Treg cells appear to be involved in the contraction phase of the CD8+ T cell response and may affect the quality of memory T cell pools. The elimination of Treg cells or their inhibition may be important in immunotherapeutic strategies to control HBV infection by inducing virus-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte responses in chronically infected subjects.

Bone marrow-derived dendritic cells pulsed with tumor lysates induce anti-tumor immunity against gastric cancer ex vivo

AIM： To investigate whether bone marrow-derived denritic cells pulsed with tumor lysates induce immunity against gastric cancer ex vivo. METHODS： c-kit＋ hematopoietic progenitor cells were magnetically isolated with a MiniMACS separator from BALB/c mice bone marrow cells. These cells were cultured with cytokines GM-CSF, IL-4, and TNFα to induce their maturation. They were analysed by morphological observation, phenotype analysis, and mixed lymphocyte reaction （MLR）. Bone marrowderived DCs （BM-DCs） were pulsed with tumor cell lysate obtained by rapid freezing and thawing at a 1：3 DC：tumor cell ratio. Finally, cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） activity and interferon gamma （IFNγ） secretion was evaluated ex vivo. RESULTS： c-kit^＋ hematopoietic progenitor cells from mice bone marrow cells cultured with cytokines for 8 d showed the character of typical mature DCs.Morphologically, observed by light microscope, these cells were large with oval or irregularly shaped nuclei and with many small dendrites. Phenotypically, FACS analysis showed that they expressed.high levels of la, DEC-205, CD11b, CD80 and CD86 antigen, moderate levels of CD40, and negative for F4/80. Functionally, these cells gained the capacity to stimulate allogeneic T cells in MLR assay. However, immature DCs cultured with cytokines for 5 d did not have typical DCs phenotypic markers and could not stimulate allogeneic T cells. Ex vivo primed T cells with SGC-7901 tumor cell lysate-pulsed （TP） DCs were able to induce effective CTL activity against SGC-7901 tumor cells （E：T = 100：1, 69.55% ± 6.05% specific lysis）, but not B16 tumor cells, and produced higher levels of IFNγ, when stimulated with SGC-7901 tumor cells but not when stimulated with B16 tumor cells （1575.31 ± 60.25 pg/mL in SGC-7901 group vs 164.11± 18.52 pg/mL in B16 group, P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： BM-derived DCs pulsed with tumor lysates Can induce anti-tumor immunity specific to gastric cancer ex vivo.

Enhancement of CTLs induced by DCs loaded with ubiquitinated hepatitis B virus core antigen

AIM： To investigate whether hepatitis B virus （HBV） could induce a hepatitis B virus core antigen （HBcAg）specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） response in vitro by dendritic cells （DCs） transduced with lentiviral vector-encoding ubiquitinated hepatitis B virus core antigen （LV-Ub-HBcAg）.METHODS： Recombinant LV-Ub-HBcAg were transfected into highly susceptible 293 T cells to obtain high virus titres, Bone marrow-derived DCs isolated from BALB/c mice were cultured with recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor and recombinant interleukin （IL）-4. LV-Ub-HBcAg, lentiviral vector-encoding hepatitis B virus core antigen （LV-HBcAg）, lentiviral vector （LV） or lipopolysaccharide were added to induce DC maturation, and the DC phenotypes were analyzed by flow cytometry. The level of IL-12 in the supernatant was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. T lymphocytes were proliferated using Cell Counting Kit-8. DCs were cultured and induced to mature using different LVs, and co-cultured with allogeneic T cells to detect the secretion levels of IL-2, IL-4, IL-10and interferon-γ in the supernatants of T cells by ELISA. Intracellular cytokines of proliferative T cells were analyzed by flow cytometry, and specific CTL activity was measured by a lactate dehydrogenase release assay.RESULTS： LV-Ub-HBcAg-induced DCs secreted more IL-12 and upregulated the expression of CD80, CD86 and major histocompatibility class ]I, DCs sensitised by different LVs effectively promoted cytokine secretion; the levels of IL-2 and interferon-y induced by LV-Ub- HBcAg were higher than those induced by LV-HBcAg, Compared with LV-HBcAg-transduced DCs, LV-Ub- HBcAg-transduced DCs more efficiently stimulated the proliferation of T lymphocytes and generated HBcAgspecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes.CONCLUSION： LV-Ub-HBcAg effectively induced DC maturation. The mature DCs efficiently induced T cell polarisation to Thl and generated HBcAg-specific CTLs.

Gastric cancer-derived heat shock protein-gp96 peptide complex enhances dendritic cell activation

AIM To investigate the role of heat shock protein (HSP)glycoprotein (gp) 96 in dendritic cells (DCs) and lymphocytes induction in gastric cancer (GC). METHODS Human GC cell lines KATOIII, MKN-28 and SGC-7901 were infected with adenovirus gp96 at a multiplicity of infection of 100. gp96-GC antigen peptide complexes were purified. MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)2,5- diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release assay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to determine allo-reactive T cell stimulation, natural killer (NK) cell activity and expression of cytokines (such as interleukin (IL)-10, IL-12, interferon (IFN)-gamma and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha), respectively. Effect of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) on DCs incubated with HSP-gp96 was also evaluated by LDH release. All assays were performed in triplicate and the average values were reported. Comparison between groups was conducted using Student's t test. RESULTS T cells incubated with HSP-gp96 exhibited a marked increase in proliferation in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.05). NK cell activity after gp96-GC peptide complex treatment was significantly higher than that after antigen peptide treatment (P < 0.05). The activity of CTLs incubated with DCs from three GC cells lines was obviously higher than that stimulated by GC antigen at ratios of 50: 1, 25: 1, 10: 1, and 5: 1 (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the secretion of TNF-alpha, IL-10, IL-12 (P70) and IFN-alpha markedly increased after incubation with HSP-gp96 (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION HSP-gp96 promotes T cell response, enhances DC antigen presentation and induces cytokine secretion, as well. HSP-gp96 has potential as immunotherapy for elimination of residual GC cells.

Dendritic cells pulsed with hsp70-peptide complexes derived from human hepatocellular carcinoma induce specific anti-tumor immune responses

AIM： To investigate the anti-tumor effect of dendritic cells （DCs） pulsed with hsp70-peptide complexes derived from human hepatocellular carcinoma （HCC） cells on human T cells. METHODS： Hsp70-peptide complexes were purified from human HCC cells with column chromatography using ADP-agarose and DEAE-Sepharose. DCs were derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy donors in the presence of human GM-CSF and IL-4. The anti-tumor effect of DCs pulsed with hsp70-peptide complexes on human T-cell was assayed by CTL and enzyme-linked immunospot （ELISPOT） tests. RESULTS： Hsp70-peptide complexes derived from human HCC cells activated phenotypic and functional maturation of DCs. The matured DCs stimulated a high level of autologous T-cell proliferation and type Ⅰ cytokine secretion, and induced HCC-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs）, which specifically killed HCC cells by a MHC class Ⅰ restricted mechanism. CONCLUSION： Hsp70-peptide complexes derived from human HCC cells can serve as a potent tumor antigen source for pulsing DCs, the pulsed DCs are very effective in activating specific T-cell responses against HCC cells. 2005 The WJG Press and Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Combinational adenovirus-mediated gene therapy and dendritic cell vaccine in combating well-established tumors

Recent developments in tumor immunology and biotechnology have made cancer gene therapy and immunotherapy feasible. The current efforts for cancer gene therapy mainly focus on using immunogenes, chemogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Central to all these therapies is the development of efficient vectors for gene therapy. By far, adenovirus （AdV）-mediated gene therapy is one of the most promising approaches, as has confirmed by studies relating to animal tumor models and clinical trials. Dendritic cells （DCs） are highly efficient, specialized antigen-presenting cells, and DC- based tumor vaccines are regarded as having much potential in cancer immunotherapy. Vaccination with DCs pulsed with tumor peptides, lysates, or RNA, or loaded with apoptotic/necrotic tumor cells, or engineered to express certain cytokines or chemokines could induce significant antitumor cytotoxic T lymphocyte （CTL） responses and antitumor immunity. Although both AdV-mediated gene therapy and DC vaccine can both stimulate antitumor immune responses, their therapeutic efficiency has been limited to generation of prophylactic antitumor immunity against re-challenge with the parental tumor cells or to growth inhibition of small tumors. However, this approach has been unsuccessful in combating well-established tumors in animal models. Therefore, a major strategic goal of current cancer immunotherapy has become the development of novel therapeutic strategies that can combat well-established tumors, thus resembling real clinical practice since a good proportion of cancer patients generally present with significant disease. In this paper, we review the recent progress in AdV-mediated cancer gene therapy and DC-based cancer vaccines, and discuss combined immunotherapy including gene therapy and DC vaccines. We underscore the fact that combined therapy may have some advantages in combating well-established tumors vis-a-vis either modality administered as a monotherapy.

Uric acid enhances T cell immune responses to hepatitis B surface antigen-pulsed-dendritic cells in mice

AIM： To study the induction of T cellular immune responses in BALB/c mice immunized with uric acid and dendritic cells （DCs） pulsed with hepatitis B virus surface antigen （HBsAg）. METHODS： DCs were generated from bone-marrow cells of BABL/c mice, and then pulsed or unpulsed with HBsAg protein （HBsAg-pulsed-DCs or unpulsed-DCs） in vitro. BABL/c mice were immunized with HBsAg-pulsed- DCs （1 × 10^6） and uric acid, injected through the tail vein of each mouse. The mice in control groups were immunized with HBsAg-pulsed-DCs alone, unpulsed- DCs alone or 200 μg uric acid alone or PBS alone. The immunization was repeated 7 d later. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes （CTLs） in vivo were determined by the CFSE labeled spleen lysis assay. Spleen cells or spleen T cells were isolated, and re-stimulated in vitro with HBsAg for 120 h or 72 h. Production of IFN-γ, and IL-4 secreted by spleen cells were determined by ELISA method; proliferation of spleen T cells were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS： The cytotoxicities of HBsAg-specific-CTLs, generated after immunization of HBsAg-pulsed-DCs and uric acid, were 68.63% ±11.32% and significantly stronger than that in the control groups （P 〈 0.01）. Compared with control groups, in mice treated with uric acid and HBsAg-pulsed-DCs, the spleen T cell proliferation to HBsAg re-stimulation was stronger （1.34 ± 0.093 vs 1.081±0.028, P 〈 0.01）, the level of IFN-t, secreted by splenocytes was higher （266.575 ± 51.323 vs 135.223 ±32.563, P 〈 0.01） , and IL-4 level wasower （22.385 ± 2.252 vs 40.598 ± 4.218, P 〈 0.01）. CONCLUSION： Uric acid can strongly enhance T cell immune responses induced by HBsAg-pulsed-DCs vaccine. Uric acid may serve as an effective adjuvant of DC vaccine against HBV infection.