Sustained expansion of NKT cells and antigen-specific T cells after injection of alpha-galactosyl-ceramide loaded mature dendritic cells in cancer patients.
Natural killer T (NKT) cells are distinct glycolipid reactive innate lymphocytes that are implicated in the resistance to pathogens and tumors. Earlier attempts to mobilize NKT cells, specifically, in vivo in humans met with limited success. Here, we evaluated intravenous injection of monocyte-derived mature DCs that were loaded with a synthetic NKT cell ligand, alpha-galactosyl-ceramide (alpha-GalCer; KRN-7000) in five patients who had advanced cancer. Injection of alpha-GalCer-pulsed, but not unpulsed, dendritic cells (DCs) led to >100-fold expansion of several subsets of NKT cells in all patients; these could be detected for up to 6 mo after vaccination. NKT activation was associated with an increase in serum levels of interleukin-12 p40 and IFN-gamma inducible protein-10. In addition, there was an increase in memory CD8+ T cells specific for cytomegalovirus in vivo in response to alpha-GalCer-loaded DCs, but not unpulsed DCs. These data demonstrate the feasibility of sustained expansion of NKT cells in vivo in humans, including patients who have advanced cancer, and suggest that NKT activation might help to boost adaptive T cell immunity in vivo.
Chang
David H
DH
Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.
Osman
Keren
K
Connolly
John
J
Kukreja
Anjli
A
Krasovsky
Joseph
J
Pack
Maggi
M
Hutchinson
Aisha
A
Geller
Matthew
M
Liu
Nancy
N
Annable
Rebecca
R
Shay
Jennifer
J
Kirchhoff
Kelly
K
Nishi
Nobusuke
N
Ando
Yoshitaka
Y
Hayashi
Kunihiko
K
Hassoun
Hani
H
Steinman
Ralph M
RM
Dhodapkar
Madhav V
MV
D000328:Adult; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D018925:Chemokines / Q000378:metabolism; D019743:Chemokines, CXC / Q000097:blood; D016207:Cytokines / Q000378:metabolism; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005699:Galactosylceramides / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000097:blood; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D014611:Vaccination
D054357:Chemokine CXCL10; D018925:Chemokines; D019743:Chemokines, CXC; D016207:Cytokines; D005699:Galactosylceramides; C493154:alpha-galactosylceramide; D018664:Interleukin-12