Long-lasting anti-metastatic efficiency of interleukin 12-encoding plasmid DNA.
Intramuscular injection of plasmid DNA encoding both subunits of the cytokine interleukin 12 (IL-12) exhibits strong antimetastatic activity against lung metastases induced by the malignant melanoma cell line B16-F10. The protective effect of IL-12 DNA is long-lasting, since administration of tumor cells 9 days after IL-12 DNA treatment prevented metastasis formation. No effects were observed with empty plasmid controls, DNA encoding the melanoma-associated antigen pmel17/gp100, the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor GM-CSF, B7.1, or CpG-containing oligodeoxynucleotides. IL-12 DNA is required during early phases of metastasis formation and is ineffective when administered later. Its efficiency is dose dependent. The cytotoxic T cell response contributes to the antimetastatic effect as evidenced by genetically modified CD8- or perforin knockout mice. Depletion of natural killer (NK) cells by antibodies completely abrogated the effect. In contrast, the IL-12-induced antimetastatic effect was not mediated by interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) or tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) as shown with IFN-gamma receptor and TNF-alpha knockout mice, respectively. Toxic side effects by IL-12 were low. Our results suggest that plasmid DNA encoding IL-12 might have potential value as gene medicine against the initiation of metastasis formation.
Schultz
J
J
Institute of Medical Virology, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
Pavlovic
J
J
Strack
B
B
Nawrath
M
M
Moelling
K
K
D000818:Animals; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018014:Gene Transfer Techniques; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000556:secondary*; D008545:Melanoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D013997:Time Factors; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D018664:Interleukin-12