Hu Ming-Hung, Fan Darrell, Tu Hsin-Fang, Tsai Ya-Chea, He Liangmei, Zhou Zhicheng, Cheng Michelle, Xing Deyin, Wang Suyang, Wu Alexis, Wu T C, Hung Chien-Fu
Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
Gene Ther. 2025 May;32(3):277-286. doi: 10.1038/s41434-024-00497-3. Epub 2024 Oct 29.
Dendritic cells (DCs) constitute a distinct type of immune cell found within tumors, serving a central role in mediating tumor antigen-specific immunity against cancer cells. Frequently, DC functions are dysregulated by the immunosuppressive signals present within the tumor microenvironment (TME). Consequently, DC manipulation holds great potential to enhance the cytotoxic T cell response against cancer diseases. One strategy involves administering Fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor 3 ligand (Flt3L), a vitally important cytokine for DC development. In this current study, the electroporation-mediated delivery of a novel albumin-fused Flt3L DNA (alb-Flt3L DNA) demonstrated the ability to induce an anti-tumor immune response. This albumin fusion construct possesses more persistent bioactivity in targeted organs. Furthermore, TC-1-bearing-C57BL/6 mice receiving alb-Flt3L DNA treatment presented better tumor control and superior survival. Cellular analysis revealed that alb-Flt3L DNA administration promoted robust DC and cDC1 expansion. In addition, increased levels of IFN-γ-secreting CD8 lymphocytes were found in correlation to greater cDC1 population. Moreover, the toxicity of alb-Flt3L administration is limited. Collectively, our data showcases a novel DC-based immunotherapy using electroporation to administer alb-Flt3L DNA.
树突状细胞(DCs)是肿瘤内发现的一种独特类型的免疫细胞,在介导针对癌细胞的肿瘤抗原特异性免疫中发挥核心作用。通常,DC功能会受到肿瘤微环境(TME)中存在的免疫抑制信号的失调影响。因此,操纵DC对于增强针对癌症疾病的细胞毒性T细胞反应具有巨大潜力。一种策略是给予Fms样酪氨酸激酶受体3配体(Flt3L),这是一种对DC发育至关重要的细胞因子。在本研究中,电穿孔介导的新型白蛋白融合Flt3L DNA(alb-Flt3L DNA)递送显示出诱导抗肿瘤免疫反应的能力。这种白蛋白融合构建体在靶器官中具有更持久的生物活性。此外,接受alb-Flt3L DNA治疗的携带TC-1的C57BL/6小鼠表现出更好的肿瘤控制和更高的生存率。细胞分析表明,给予alb-Flt3L DNA可促进强大的DC和cDC1扩增。此外,发现分泌IFN-γ的CD8淋巴细胞水平增加与更大的cDC1群体相关。而且,alb-Flt3L给药的毒性是有限的。总的来说,我们的数据展示了一种使用电穿孔给予alb-Flt3L DNA的基于DC的新型免疫疗法。