Dendritic cell (DC)-based vaccines pulsed with high hydrostatic pressure (HHP)-inactivated tumor cells have recently been shown to be a promising tool for prostate cancer chemoimmunotherapy. In this study, DC-based vaccines, both pulsed and unpulsed, were as effective as docetaxel (DTX) in reducing prostate tumors in the orthotopic transgenic adenocarcinoma of the mouse prostate (TRAMP) model. However, we did not observe any additive or synergic effects of chemoimmunotherapy on the tumor growth, while only the combination of DTX and pulsed dendritic cells resulted in significantly lower proliferation detected by Ki67 staining in histological samples. The DC-based vaccine pulsed with HHP-treated tumor cells was also combined with another type of cytostatic, cyclophosphamide, with similar results. In another clinically relevant setting, minimal residual tumor disease after surgery, administration of DC-based vaccines after the surgery of poorly immunogenic transplanted TRAMP-C2, as well as in immunogenic TC-1 tumors, reduced the growth of tumor recurrences. To identify the effector cell populations after DC vaccine application, mice were twice immunized with both pulsed and unpulsed DC vaccine, and the cytotoxicity of the spleen cells populations was tested. The effector cell subpopulations were defined as CD4+ and NK1.1+, which suggests rather unspecific therapeutic effects of the DC-based vaccines in our settings. Taken together, our data demonstrate that DC-based vaccines represent a rational tool for the treatment of human prostate cancer.

• Keywords
• dendritic cells, docetaxel, high hydrostatic pressure, immunotherapy, prostate cancer,
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH

High hydrostatic pressure (HHP) has been shown to induce immunogenic cell death of cancer cells, facilitating their uptake by dendritic cells (DC) and subsequent presentation of tumor antigens. In the present study, we demonstrated immunogenicity of the HHP-treated tumor cells in mice. HHP was able to induce immunogenic cell death of both TC-1 and TRAMP-C2 tumor cells, representing murine models for human papilloma virus-associated tumors and prostate cancer, respectively. HHP-treated cells induced stronger immune responses in mice immunized with these tumor cells, documented by higher spleen cell cytotoxicity and increased IFNγ production as compared to irradiated tumor cells, accompanied by suppression of tumor growth in vivo in the case of TC-1 tumors, but not TRAMP-C2 tumors. Furthermore, HHP-treated cells were used for DC-based vaccine antigen pulsing. DC co-cultured with HHP-treated tumor cells and matured by a TLR 9 agonist exhibited higher cell surface expression of maturation markers and production of IL-12 and other cytokines, as compared to the DC pulsed with irradiated tumor cells. Immunization with DC cell-based vaccines pulsed with HHP-treated tumor cells induced high immune responses, detected by increased spleen cell cytotoxicity and elevated IFNγ production. The DC-based vaccine pulsed with HHP-treated tumor cells combined with docetaxel chemotherapy significantly inhibited growth of both TC-1 and TRAMP-C2 tumors. Our results indicate that DC-based vaccines pulsed with HHP-inactivated tumor cells can be a suitable tool for chemoimmunotherapy, particularly with regard to the findings that poorly immunogenic TRAMP-C2 tumors were susceptible to this treatment modality.

• MeSH
• Antigens, Neoplasm metabolism   MeSH
• Cytotoxicity, Immunologic MeSH
• Dendritic Cells cytology   MeSH
• Docetaxel MeSH
• Neoplasms, Experimental drug therapy   therapy   MeSH
• Hydrostatic Pressure MeSH
• Immune System MeSH
• Immunotherapy methods   MeSH
• Papillomavirus Infections drug therapy   therapy   MeSH
• Interferon-gamma metabolism   MeSH
• Interleukin-12 metabolism   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mice, Inbred C57BL MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Cell Line, Tumor MeSH
• Prostatic Neoplasms drug therapy   metabolism   therapy   MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents administration & dosage   MeSH
• Cancer Vaccines chemistry   MeSH
• Spleen immunology   MeSH
• Taxoids administration & dosage   MeSH
• Toll-Like Receptor 9 metabolism   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Antigens, Neoplasm MeSH
• Docetaxel MeSH
• Interferon-gamma MeSH
• Interleukin-12 MeSH
• Antineoplastic Agents MeSH
• Cancer Vaccines MeSH
• Taxoids MeSH
• Tlr9 protein, mouse MeSH Browser
• Toll-Like Receptor 9 MeSH

Epigenetic events play an important role in tumour progression and also contribute to escape of the tumour from immune surveillance. In this study, we investigated the up-regulation of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I surface expression on tumour cells by epigenetic mechanisms using a murine tumour cell line expressing human E6 and E7 human papilloma virus 16 (HPV16) oncogenes and deficient in MHC class I expression, as a result of impaired antigen-presenting machinery (APM). Treatment of the cells with the histone deacetylase inhibitor Trichostatin A, either alone or in combination with the DNA demethylating agent 5-azacytidine, induced surface re-expression of MHC class I molecules. Consequently, the treated cells became susceptible to lysis by specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Further analysis revealed that epigenetic induction of MHC class I surface expression was associated with the up-regulation of APM genes [transporter associated with antigen processing 1 (TAP-1), TAP-2, low-molecular-mass protein 2 (LMP-2) and LMP-7]. The results demonstrate that expression of the genes involved in APM are modulated by epigenetic mechanisms and suggest that agents modifying DNA methylation and/or histone acetylation have the potential to change the effectiveness of antitumour immune responses and therapeutically may have an impact on immunological output.

• MeSH
• Apoptosis drug effects   MeSH
• Azacitidine pharmacology   MeSH
• Epigenesis, Genetic immunology   MeSH
• Neoplasms, Experimental genetics   immunology   virology   MeSH
• Genes, MHC Class I * MeSH
• Histones metabolism   MeSH
• Papillomavirus Infections complications   MeSH
• Enzyme Inhibitors pharmacology   MeSH
• Hydroxamic Acids pharmacology   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Human papillomavirus 16 * MeSH
• Mice, Inbred C57BL MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Tumor Cells, Cultured MeSH
• Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction methods   MeSH
• Antigen Presentation genetics   immunology   MeSH
• Up-Regulation drug effects   genetics   immunology   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Mice MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Azacitidine MeSH
• Histones MeSH
• Enzyme Inhibitors MeSH
• Hydroxamic Acids MeSH
• trichostatin A MeSH Browser