Dendritic Cell Vaccine Loaded with MG-7 Antigen Induces Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Responses against Gastric Cancer

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells that can activate T cells and initiate a primary immune response. Personalized DC vaccines have demonstrated a modest antitumor potential in some clinical pilot studies. However, those vaccines are difficult to manufacture and have a limited antitumor response. In this study, a lentiviral vector-programmed DC vaccine with high antitumor responses is developed. By transfecting with a lentiviral vector, the DC vaccine is loaded with MG-7 antigen (MG-7Ag). Three representative gastric cancer cell lines, such as KATO-3, MKN45, and SNU16, are used to estimate the in vitro cytotoxic effect of the MG-7Ag DC vaccine. Furthermore, we examine the in vivo antitumor efficacy of specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) induced by the MG-7Ag DC vaccine in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice models. The current data demonstrate that the MG-7Ag DC vaccine induced a potent CTL activity. Those CTLs have a significant cytotoxic effect on both KATO-3 and MKN45 with high level of MG-7 expression. In addition, MG-7Ag DC vaccine-mediated CTLs significantly inhibit the growth of tumor xenografts in nude mice. The MG-7Ag DC vaccine activate the cytotoxic effect of lymphocytes and can be employed as a vaccine in gastric cancer immunotherapy.