Whole
tumor cell
vaccines have been widely studied and elicits limited immune responses because of the poor immunogenicity. In the present study, we discovered that high-frequency administration of irradiated whole
tumor cell
vaccine triggered rejection of
tumor cells (90% or 100% of the mice that were vaccinated with irradiated H22 cells or S180 respectively were protected), and provided cross-protection and long-term anti-
tumor immunity in BALB/c mouse models. The antitumor activity required CD4+, CD8+ T cells and macrophage that was proved in the nude mice and cell depletion mouse models. The adoptive transfer experiment suggested that repeated whole
tumor cell vaccination successfully stimulated the anti-
tumor response by activation of the immune cells. A high immunization frequency within a short period of time and the presence of glycosylated molecules and
nucleic acids on the surface of intact
tumor cells were crucial for the successful prevention of
tumor growth by whole
tumor cell
vaccines. Moreover, Yt, the
protein component from fungus Agrocybe aegerita, increased whole
tumor cell
vaccine-mediated
tumor rejection and cross-protection effect. These data indicated that the frequency of administration of whole
tumor cell
vaccines was of critical importance for the efficacy, which needed to be integrated into
vaccine strategies for producing potential
vaccines.