Immunization with recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor as a vaccine adjuvant elicits both a cellular and humoral response to recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor.
Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) is an important cytokine for the generation and propagation of antigen-presenting cells and for priming a cellular immune response. We report here that use of recombinant human GM-CSF (rhGM-CSF), administered as an adjuvant in a peptide-based vaccine trial given monthly by intradermal injection, led to the development of a T-cell and antibody response to rhGM-CSF. An antibody response occurred in the majority of patients (72%). This antibody response was not found to be neutralizing. In addition, by 48-hour delayed type hypersensitivity (DTH) skin testing, 17% of patients were shown to have a cellular immune response to the adjuvant rhGM-CSF alone. Thymidine incorporation assays also showed a peripheral blood T-cell response to rhGM-CSF in at least 17% of the patients. The generation of rhGM-CSF-specific T-cell immune responses, elicited in this fashion, is an important observation because rhGM-CSF is being used as a vaccine adjuvant in various vaccine strategies. rhGM-CSF-specific immune responses may be incorrectly interpreted as antigen-specific immunity, particularly when local DTH responses to vaccination are the primary means of immunologic evaluation. We found no evidence of hematologic or infectious complications as a result of the development of rhGM-CSF-specific immune responses.
McNeel
D G
DG
Division of Oncology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
Schiffman
K
K
Disis
M L
ML
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D000917:Antibody Formation; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D006968:Hypersensitivity, Delayed; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D007271:Injections, Intradermal; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D012882:Skin Tests; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D013997:Time Factors; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000276:immunology
D000276:Adjuvants, Immunologic; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014614:Vaccines, Synthetic; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor