Anti-idiotypic single chain mimicking CA125 linked with tuftsin provides protective immunity against ovarian cancer in mice.

The activation of effector cells by bifunctional proteins to kill target cells has great potential in the treatment of cancer. In this study, a recombinant fusion protein composed of an anti‑idiotypic single chain mimicking CA125 connected with tuftsin by an artificial linker was constructed. The fusion protein was found to manifest a number of biological activities, including activation of macrophages and stimulation of the T-cell response against cancer. Compared with single‑chain Fv without tuftsin, the fusion protein showed stronger immunogenicity triggering humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. Fusion of tuftsin to scFv resulted in enhanced production of anti-anti-idiotypic antibodies and T-cell response. Protection against tumor challenges may be achieved in animals immunized with fusion protein. These results raise the possibility of employing cancer immunotherapy by administration of fusion proteins composed of anti‑idiotypic antibodies and tuftsin.