We recently identified
Galectin-1 (Gal-1), a β-galactoside-binding
lectin, as a novel immune regulator in
neuroblastoma (NB). Here, we characterized the tolerogenic function of
Gal-1 within the CD8+ T cell compartment and further evaluated its relevance as an
antigen for effective
DNA vaccination against NB in a mouse model. NB cells with
Gal-1 knockdown (NXS-2L) exhibited significantly reduced
tumor growth compared to NXS-2 NB cells. Administration of anti-CD8
antibodies prevented this antitumor effect, with primary
tumor growth comparable to that from
Gal-1 (G1)-sufficient NB cells.
Peptide epitope screening with online databases and in silico docking experiments predicted the sequences "FDQADLTI" (#1), "GDFKIKCV" (#2), and "AHGDANTI" (#3) to have superior H2-KK binding affinities and "KFPNRLNM" (#4), "DGDFKIKCV" (#5), and "LGKDSNNL" (#6) to have superior H2-DD binding affinities. Minigenes encoding G1-KK (#1-#2-#3), G1-DD (#4-#5-#6) and the triplet with the highest affinity, G1-H (#1-#2-#4), were generated and cloned into a
ubiquitin-containing plasmid (pU). Mice receiving pU-G1-KK or pU-G-1H presented a reduction in the s.c.
tumor volume and weight of up to 80% compared to control mice; this reduction was associated with increased cytotoxicity of isolated splenocytes from vaccinated animals. Vaccination with pUG1-DD showed a lower capability to suppress primary
tumor progression. In conclusion,
Gal-1 expression by NB negatively regulates CD8+ T cells. Vaccination with
DNA plasmids encoding
Gal-1 epitopes overcomes immune escape, enhances CD8+ T cell-dependent immunity and displays effective antitumor activity against NB.