title: Tat mammaglobin fusion protein transduced dendritic cells stimulate mammaglobin-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells.
abstract: Proteins can be efficiently introduced into cells when fused to a protein transduction domain, such as Tat from the human immunodeficiency virus. We recently reported that dendritic cells transduced with a Tat fusion protein containing the extracellular domain of Her2/neu (Tat-Her2/neu) induced CD8 cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) that specifically lysed Her2/neu-expressing breast and ovarian cancer cells. In the current study we further investigated the mechanism of protein transduction, utilizing the breast cancer-associated protein, mammaglobin-A, which is expressed in about 80% of breast cancers. Using a Tat-mammaglobin fusion protein, we tested the ability of Tat-mammaglobin transduced dendritic cells to stimulate antigen-specific CD4 and CD8 T cells. Low levels of serum considerably improved protein transduction as determined by Western blot, and also improved presentation of antigenic peptide as evidenced by functional studies using antigen-specific T cells. Confocal microscope analyses of antigen-presenting cells (APC) incubated with Tat-mammaglobin showed localized distribution in addition to diffuse distribution in the cytosol. In contrast, mammaglobin lacking Tat showed only a localized distribution. Simultaneous incubation with both proteins resulted in overlapping localized distributions, suggesting Tat fusion proteins are processed through both the MHC class I and class II pathways. Indeed, stimulation of T cells with Tat-mammaglobin transduced dendritic cells led to an expansion of mammaglobin-specific CD4 T helper-1 lymphocytes along with CD8 CTL. We conclude that Tat-mammaglobin transduced dendritic cells can induce both CD4 and CD8 mammaglobin-specific T cells. These findings could be further exploited for the development of a mammaglobin-based vaccine for breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Carsten T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Viehl
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tanaka
authors.forename: Tingting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Daniel M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Frey
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tran
authors.forename: Timothy P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Eberlein
authors.forename: Peter S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Goedegebuure
mesh_terms: D000938:Antigen-Presenting Cells; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015696:Gene Products, tat / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D060785:Mammaglobin A; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014598:Uteroglobin / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D018984:Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte; D015696:Gene Products, tat; D060785:Mammaglobin A; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C556448:SCGB2A2 protein, human; D014598:Uteroglobin