ABSTRACT
Cationic liposomes have been shown to potentiate markedly the ability of plasmid DNA to activate innate immune responses. We reasoned therefore that liposome-DNA complexes (LDC) could be used to produce more effective plasmid DNA vaccines for cancer. To test this hypothesis, tumor-bearing mice were vaccinated with conventional plasmid DNA vaccines or with LDC vaccines encoding model tumor antigens and CD8(+) T-cell responses and antitumor activity were assessed. We found that although plasmid DNA vaccines generated large increases in antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells, they failed to elicit significant antitumor immunity. In contrast, LDC vaccines elicited large numbers of antigen-specific CD8(+) T cells and also generated significant antitumor activity against established tumors. The antitumor activity elicited by immunization with LDC vaccines was mediated primarily by CD8(+) T cells. Studies of the interaction of LDC with antigen-presenting cells found that LDC triggered dendritic cell production of interleukin-12 and interferon (IFN)-gamma production by natural killer cells in vivo. Activation by LDC was also accompanied by upregulation of costimulatory molecule expression. These findings suggest that by concurrently activating strong systemic innate immune responses and generating cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses, LDC may be used to increase the effectiveness of therapeutic plasmid DNA vaccination for cancer.
Subject(s)
Liposomes/immunology , Neoplasms, Experimental/immunology , Vaccines, DNA/immunology , Animals , Antigen-Presenting Cells/immunology , Antigen-Presenting Cells/metabolism , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/immunology , CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes/metabolism , Cancer Vaccines/genetics , Cancer Vaccines/immunology , Cell Line, Tumor , Female , Flow Cytometry , Killer Cells, Natural/immunology , Killer Cells, Natural/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred BALB C , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology , Plasmids/genetics , Plasmids/immunology , Spleen/immunology , Spleen/pathology , Vaccination/methods , Vaccines, DNA/geneticsABSTRACT
The status of the erbB-2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2/neu) proto-oncogene in canine osteosarcoma (OSA) has not been reported previously. In this study we used real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to evaluate erbB-2 expression in seven canine OSA cell lines and 10 canine OSA tissue samples. We determined erbB-2 to be significantly overexpressed in 86% (six of seven) of the cell lines and 40% (4 of 10) of the OSA tissues samples. Given the importance of erbB-2 in human breast cancer, the finding of erbB-2 overexpression in canine OSA may be important in further understanding the pathogenesis and possible therapies of OSA.
