Cross-priming of naive CD8 T cells against melanoma antigens using dendritic cells loaded with killed allogeneic melanoma cells.

The goal of tumor immunotherapy is to elicit immune responses against autologous tumors. It would be highly desirable that such responses include multiple T cell clones against multiple tumor antigens. This could be obtained using the antigen presenting capacity of dendritic cells (DCs) and cross-priming. That is, one could load the DC with tumor lines of any human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) type to elicit T cell responses against the autologous tumor. In this study, we show that human DCs derived from monocytes and loaded with killed melanoma cells prime naive CD45RA(+)CD27(+)CD8(+) T cells against the four shared melanoma antigens: MAGE-3, gp100, tyrosinase, and MART-1. HLA-A201(+) naive T cells primed by DCs loaded with HLA-A201(-) melanoma cells are able to kill several HLA-A201(+) melanoma targets. Cytotoxic T lymphocyte priming towards melanoma antigens is also obtained with cells from metastatic melanoma patients. This demonstration of cross-priming against shared tumor antigens builds the basis for using allogeneic tumor cell lines to deliver tumor antigens to DCs for vaccination protocols.

Immune and clinical responses in patients with metastatic melanoma to CD34(+) progenitor-derived dendritic cell vaccine.

Immunization to multiple defined tumor antigens for specific immune therapy of human cancer has thus far proven difficult. Eighteen HLA A*0201(+) patients with metastatic melanoma received injections s.c. of CD34(+)progenitor-derived autologous dendritic cells (DCs), which included Langerhans cells. DCs were pulsed with peptides derived from four melanoma antigens [(MelAgs) MelanA/MART-1, tyrosinase, MAGE-3, and gp100], as well as influenza matrix peptide (Flu-MP) and keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) as control antigens. Overall immunological effects were assessed by comparing response profiles using marginal likelihood scores. DC injections were well tolerated except for progressive vitiligo in two patients. DCs induced an immune response to control antigens (KLH, Flu-MP) in 16 of 18 patients. An enhanced immune response to one or more MelAgs was seen in these same 16 patients, including 10 patients who responded to >2 MelAgs. The two patients failing to respond to both control and tumor antigens experienced rapid tumor progression. Of 17 patients with evaluable disease, 6 of 7 patients with immunity to two or less MelAgs had progressive disease 10 weeks after study entry, in contrast to tumor progression in only 1 of 10 patients with immunity to >2 MelAgs. Regression of >1 tumor metastases were observed in seven of these patients. The overall immunity to MelAgs after DC vaccination is associated with clinical outcome (P = 0.015).

Lipopolysaccharide can block the potential of monocytes to differentiate into dendritic cells.

We examined whether priming monocytes (MO) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) influenced their further differentiation into either macrophages (Mphi) or dendritic cells (DC). LPS-primed MO differentiated into Mphi when cultured further with Mphi colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) but, if cultured then with granulocyte/Mphi (GM)-CSF and IL-4 (interleukin-4), only about 30% of the cells differentiated into CD1a+ CD14- DC and half became CD1a- CD14+ Mphi. Cytokines present during LPS priming could affect subsequent MO differentiation. Relative to priming with LPS alone, adding M-CSF to LPS did not modify differentiation of MO to Mphi in further culture with M-CSF, nor did it change the way of differentiation of MO into DC was altered if culture was later switched to GM-CSF/IL-4. Using GM-CSF/IL-4 plus LPS upon priming did not modify differentiation of MO to Mphi in further culture with M-CSF, as compared to priming with GM-CSF/IL-4 alone, but it counteracted the effect of LPS on the differentiation of MO to DC in further culture with GM-CSF/IL-4: about 75% of cells then became DC. Alternatively, despite activation by LPS, mature M-CSF-induced Mphi preserved the potential to differentiate into DC on subsequent culture with GM-CSF/IL-4. Thus, LPS, a bacterial product known to sustain maturation of MO/Mphi as well as of DC, may block the differentiation of MO into DC, except if signal triggering DC differentiation is delivered concomitantly, and modulate in this manner the induction of adaptive immune responses to infection.

Dendritic cells as the terminal stage of monocyte differentiation.

Monocytes (MO) cultured for > or =5 days with either macrophage-CSF (M-CSF) or granulocyte macrophage (GM)-CSF and IL-4 differentiated without concomitant proliferation into CD14+ macrophages (Mphi) or CD1a+ dendritic cells (DC), respectively. When adherent and nonadherent CD14high Mphi from M-CSF cultures were separated and cultured further in cytokine-free medium or with GM-CSF/IL-4, most cells from both fractions that were exposed to GM-CSF/IL-4 acquired CD1a expression and DC morphology and function. Conversely, GM-CSF/IL-4 withdrawal at day 5 and additional culture of sorted CD1a+ DC for 2 to 7 days in cytokine-free medium led to cells rapidly becoming adherent CD1a-CD14+ Mphi. Replacing GM-CSF/IL-4 with M-CSF hastened the conversion of DC to Mphi without increasing cell numbers. CD1a+CD14-CD83+ mature DC were induced by a > or =2-day exposure to MO-conditioned medium, LPS, or TNF-alpha/IL-1beta. Upon cytokine removal or culture with M-CSF, DC that had been pushed to maturation by conditioned medium or LPS remained stable or died in the new environment. TNF-alpha/IL-1beta-driven DC displayed heterogeneous CD83 expression and could thus be sorted into CD83high and CD83low/- cells; in cytokine-free medium or in M-CSF, most CD83low/- cells converted to Mphi, whereas most CD83high cells remained nonadherent CD1a+CD14- or died and thus appeared truly terminally differentiated. Hence, MO are precursors of Mphi as well as of DC, with each cell type having the capability to convert into the other until late in the differentiation/maturation process. Accordingly, the cytokine environment and the presence of differentiation and/or other stimulatory signals may be the "final decision-making factors" determining whether these cells will acquire DC or Mphi characteristics and function.