Cytomegalovirus-Based Vaccine Expressing a Modified Tumor Antigen Induces Potent Tumor-Specific CD8(+) T-cell Response and Protects Mice from Melanoma.

Abstract

The presence of tumor-infiltrating CD8(+) T cells is associated with tumor regression and better prognosis. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection elicits a robust and long-lasting CD8(+) T-cell response, which makes CMV a potentially promising vaccine vector against cancer. In the current study, we used recombinant murine CMV (MCMV) strains as prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines in an aggressive B16 lung metastatic melanoma model. Immunization with MCMV-expressing ovalbumin (OVA) induced a potent OVA-specific CD8(+) T-cell response and was effective in protecting mice from OVA-expressing B16 melanoma in an antigen-dependent manner. We engineered MCMV to express a modified B16 melanoma antigen gp100 (MCMV-gp100KGP). Immunization with MCMV-gp100KGP was highly effective in overcoming immune tolerance to self-antigen and induced a strong, long-lasting gp100-specific CD8(+) T-cell response even in the presence of preexisting anti-CMV immunity. Furthermore, both prophylactic and therapeutic vaccinations of mice with MCMV-gp100KGP effectively protected mice from highly aggressive lung B16-F10 melanoma, and the protection was mediated by gp100-specific CD8(+) T cells. We showed that MCMV is a superior vaccine vector compared with a commonly used vesicular stomatitis virus vector. Collectively, our studies demonstrate that CMV is a promising vaccine vector to prevent and treat tumors.

• Authors: Zhijuan Qiu, Huakang Huang, Jeremy M Grenier, Oriana A Perez, Henry M Smilowitz, Barbara Adler, Kamal M Khanna
• Journal: Cancer immunology research (Cancer Immunol Res) Vol. 3 Issue 5 Pg. 536-46 (May 2015) ISSN: 2326-6074 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 25633711 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.)
• Copyright: ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

Chemical References

• Cancer Vaccines
• gp100 Melanoma Antigen
• Ovalbumin

Topics

• Animals
• CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes (immunology)
• Cancer Vaccines (therapeutic use)
• Cytomegalovirus (immunology)
• Female
• Lung Neoplasms (prevention & control, secondary)
• Melanoma, Experimental (immunology, pathology, prevention & control)
• Mice, Inbred C57BL
• Ovalbumin (immunology)
• gp100 Melanoma Antigen (immunology)