[Induction of Th1 immune response against tumor by genetically engineered fusion of tumor cells and dendritic cells].

OBJECTIVE

To study the antitumor activity of engineered fusion of tumor cell and dendritic cells (DC).

METHODS

J558 tumor cells were transfected with mouse IL-12 (mIL-12) gene and then fused with DCs to develop a hybrid-engineered tumor vaccine. BALB/c mice were challenged with wild-type J558 tumor cells 14 days after vaccinated with hybrid-engineered J558.

RESULTS

mIL-12 was detected at (870 +/- 60) pg.(10(5) cells)(-1).ml(-1) in the culture supernatants and the cell-fusion rate was about 30% by co-focal microscopy. In addition, the lymphocytes from popliteal nodes and groin nodes of these mice vaccinated with hybrid-engineered J558 secreted higher levels of IFN-gamma than that of other control mice, and vaccination of mice with the fusion vaccine induced more efficient tumor-specific CTL cytotoxicity against wild-type tumor cells in vitro and with efficient antitumor immunity in vivo.

CONCLUSION

It suggested that vaccination of mice with the fusion vaccine induced stronger Th1-dominant responses and this approach could perhaps be applied to clinical settings of DCs-based cancer vaccines.