UV radiation induces
skin cancer primarily by its
DNA-damaging properties, but also by its capacity to suppress the immune system. The photoisomer of
urocanic acid (UCA), cis-UCA, is an important mediator of UV-induced immunosuppression and is involved in the inhibition of
tumor immunity. The immunomodulatory
cytokine IL-12 is known to counteract many of the immunosuppressive effects of UV radiation, including UV-induced immune tolerance. In this study, we addressed whether
IL-12 also reverts the immunosuppressive activities of cis-UCA. Cis-UCA inhibits the ability of Langerhans cells to present
tumor Ags for primary and secondary
tumor immune responses.
IL-12 treatment completely prevented the suppression by cis-UCA.
IL-12 also protected mice from cis-UCA-induced suppression of
contact hypersensitivity responses. To study the effects of cis-UCA on Ag-processing and Ag-presenting function in vitro, Langerhans cells were treated with UCA isomers and incubated with OVA or OVA peptide(323-339) before exposure to OVA-specific transgenic T cells. Cis-, but not trans-UCA suppressed Ag presentation, which was completely reversed upon addition of
IL-12. Since these findings suggest that cis-UCA may play an important role in photocarcinogenesis by inhibiting a
tumor immune response, mice were chronically UVB irradiated to induce
skin cancer. Whereas all mice in the control groups developed
tumors, mice treated with a mAb with specificity for cis-UCA showed a significantly reduced
tumor incidence. These data strongly indicate the importance of cis-UCA during photocarcinogenesis and support the concept of counteracting cis-UCA as an alternative strategy to prevent UV-induced
skin cancer, possibly via the application of
IL-12.