title: Electrofusion generates diverse DC-tumour cell hybrids for cancer immunotherapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hybrid cells generated from dendritic cells (DC) and tumour cells provide tumour-associated antigens (TAA) in a polyvalent mode. The present study was designed to investigate the hybrid cell generation by dendritic cells and different tumour cell lines to establish an electrofusion protocol with an optimal fusion setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hybrid cells from mature DC and tumour cells were generated by electrofusion. Fusion efficiency was determined by flow cytometry, as well as by light and fluorescence microscopy analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The gradual electrofusion process constituted different human dendritic cell tumour cell hybrids of high diversity depending on electrical and non-electrical parameters. Factors influencing fusion frequency were determined by specific cell staining with mAbs, FACS analysis and trypan blue dye exclusion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased fusion efficiency was associated with reduced viability. The protocol presented in this work might be helpful for future fusion studies as a prerequisite for comparable in vitro and human vaccination trials.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, University of Kiel, Germany. jweise@hno.uni-kiel.de
authors.forename: Jan B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Weise
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hilpert
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Heiser
authors.forename: Tibor
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Görögh
authors.forename: Jens E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: Joerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weimer
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krüger
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rosenau
authors.forename: Wilm
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wieckhorst
authors.forename: Norbert
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Arnold
authors.forename: Jacobus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pfisterer
authors.forename: Dietrich
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Kabelitz
authors.forename: Steffen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maune
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*; D002459:Cell Fusion / Q000379:methods*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D006822:Hybrid Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive / Q000379:methods*; D007822:Laryngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens