Activation of immature hepatic NK cells as immunotherapy for liver metastatic disease.
NK cells can identify and eliminate emerging tumors due to altered expression of activating and inhibitory ligands on aberrant cells, a process that is greatly enhanced following NK cell activation. As a principal site of both tumor metastases and immature NK cells, the liver represents a unique anatomic location in which activation of the innate immune system could provide substantial therapeutic benefit. We describe here the NK cell-dependent destruction of a primary hepatic tumor following infection with an attenuated intracellular bacterium derived from Listeria monocytogenes. NK cell-mediated immunity correlated with the ordered migration and maturation of NK cells within the liver. Cytolytic activity was partially dependent on NKG2D-mediated tumor cell recognition, but surprisingly was still effective in the absence of type I IFN. Significantly, NK cell-mediated destruction of a primary hepatic tumor in infected mice led to long-lived CD4- and CD8 T cell-dependent tumor-specific adaptive immunity. These findings establish that activation and differentiation of immature NK cells using complex microbial stimuli can elicit potent anti-tumor activity within the liver, promote cross-presentation of tumor-derived Ags leading to long-lived systemic anti-tumor immunity, and suggests a paradigm for clinical intervention of liver metastatic carcinoma.
Bahjat
Keith S
KS
Cerus Corporation, Concord, CA 94520, USA. reprints@keithbahjat.com
Prell
Rodney A
RA
Allen
Heather E
HE
Liu
Weiqun
W
Lemmens
Edward E
EE
Leong
Meredith L
ML
Portnoy
Daniel A
DA
Dubensky
Thomas W
TW
Brockstedt
Dirk G
DG
Giedlin
Martin A
MA
D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000096:biosynthesis; D007694:Killer Cells, Natural / Q000276:immunology*; D008024:Ligands; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000276:immunology*; D008088:Listeriosis / Q000276:immunology; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000556:secondary / Q000628:therapy; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell
C527086:Klrk1 protein, mouse; D008024:Ligands; D055655:NK Cell Lectin-Like Receptor Subfamily K; D011971:Receptors, Immunologic; D055607:Receptors, Natural Killer Cell; D007371:Interferon-gamma