title: Immune characterization of clinical grade-dendritic cells generated from cancer patients and genetically modified by an ALVAC vector carrying MAGE minigenes.
abstract: Gene delivery into dendritic cells (DC) is most efficiently achieved by viral vectors. Recombinant canarypox viruses (ALVAC) were validated safe and efficient in humans. We aimed firstly to evaluate DC transduction by ALVAC vectors, then to investigate if such infection induced or not the maturation of the DC, and finally to assess the efficiency of ALVAC-MAGE-transduced DC to activate specific CTL clones. Clinical grade DC from melanoma patients were generated from blood monocytes and infected with a recombinant ALVAC virus encoding either a marker gene (EGFP) or the MAGE-1-MAGE-3 minigenes. According to the patient-donor, 22+/-16% of immature DC were successfully transduced. Flow cytometry analysis of surface markers expressed on DC after ALVAC infection did not reveal a mature phenotype. Moreover, ALVAC transduction did not interfere with the capacity of the DC to further mature under poly:IC stimulation. But most importantly, our results demonstrated that DC from HLA-A1 patient-donors infected with the recombinant ALVAC MAGE-1-MAGE-3 minigenes virus were capable of activating a MAGE 3/A1 CTL clone more efficiently than same DC loaded with MAGE 3/A1 peptide, as shown by increased IFN-gamma secretion. These results could be the basis for the development of a new clinical strategy in melanoma patient's immunotherapy.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Research Institute (IRIBHM), Faculty of Medicine, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Route de Lennik 808, 1070 Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: Myrto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trakatelli
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Toungouz
authors.forename: Micheline
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lambermont
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Heenen
authors.forename: Thierry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velu
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bruyns
mesh_terms: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D028121:Canarypox virus / Q000235:genetics*; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism; D008545:Melanoma / Q000276:immunology*; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D011070:Poly I-C / Q000494:pharmacology; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology; D014161:Transduction, Genetic
chemical_list: D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C072011:MAGEA1 protein, human; C072013:MAGEA3 protein, human; D058950:Melanoma-Specific Antigens; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D018664:Interleukin-12; D011070:Poly I-C