Hydrodynamic limb vein delivery of a xenogeneic DNA cancer vaccine effectively induces antitumor immunity.

Abstract

Tumor-associated antigens (TAA) are typically poorly immunogenic "self" antigens. An effective strategy to break tolerance and induce antitumor immunity is by genetic vaccination, employing the orthologous TAA-sequence from a different species. We recently developed a clinically relevant approach for intravascular hydrodynamic limb vein (HLV) delivery of nucleic acids to skeletal muscle. Using the human gp100 xenogeneic TAA in the murine B16 melanoma model, we show that genetic vaccination of mice by HLV plasmid DNA delivery was highly effective at breaking tolerance against the homologous murine gp100 (mgp100) TAA and induced prophylactic antitumor protection. HLV vaccination resulted in an anti-hgp100 humoral and cellular response, with 4-5% of CD8(+) T cells being gp100(25-33)-epitope-specific. Vaccinated animals demonstrated in vivo cytolytic activity against human and mgp100(25-33) peptide-pulsed targets. Antitumor immunity could be adoptively transferred by splenocytes from human gp100-vaccinated animals. Furthermore, a durable antitumor memory response was established as approximately 3% of CD8(+) T cells were gp100(25-33) antigen-specific in mice 6 months after vaccination. Following a single HLV human gp100 DNA boost, this level increased to approximately 17% and protected animals from subsequent B16 tumor rechallenge. Our results warrant further consideration of HLV as a clinically relevant method for cancer gene therapy.

• Authors: Zane C Neal, Mary K Bates, Mark R Albertini, Hans Herweijer
• Journal: Molecular therapy : the journal of the American Society of Gene Therapy (Mol Ther) Vol. 15 Issue 2 Pg. 422-30 (Feb 2007) ISSN: 1525-0016 [Print] United States
• PMID: 17235322 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)

Chemical References

• Antigens, Neoplasm
• Cancer Vaccines
• Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte
• Membrane Glycoproteins
• PMEL protein, human
• Pmel protein, mouse
• Vaccines, DNA
• gp100 Melanoma Antigen

Topics

• Animals
• Antigens, Neoplasm (immunology)
• Blotting, Western
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• COS Cells
• Cancer Vaccines (administration & dosage, immunology)
• Cell Line, Tumor
• Chlorocebus aethiops
• Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte (immunology)
• Female
• Flow Cytometry
• Hindlimb (blood supply)
• Humans
• Injections, Intravenous (methods)
• Melanoma, Experimental (immunology, pathology, prevention & control)
• Membrane Glycoproteins (immunology)
• Mice
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Vaccination (methods)
• Vaccines, DNA (administration & dosage, immunology)
• gp100 Melanoma Antigen