Predominant expression of CCL2 at the tumor site of prostate cancer patients directs a selective loss of immunological tolerance to CCL2 that could be amplified in a beneficial manner.
We have previously shown that, during inflammatory autoimmune diseases in humans, the immune system develops a neutralizing auto-Ab-based response to a very limited number of inflammatory mediators, and that amplification of each response could be beneficial for the host. Our working hypothesis has been that this selective breakdown of immunological tolerance is due to a predominant expression of an inflammatory mediator at an immune-restricted site undergoing a destructive process. All three conditions also take place in cancer diseases. In this study, we delineate this hypothesis for the first time in a human cancer disease and then explore its clinical implications. We show that in primary tumor sections of prostate cancer subjects, CCL2 is predominantly expressed at the tumor site over other chemokines that have been associated with tumor development, including: CXCL12, CXCL10, CXCL8, CCL3, and CCL5. Subsequently, the immune response selectivity mounts an Ab-based response to CCL2. These Abs are neutralizing Abs. These findings hold diagnostic and therapeutic implications. The current diagnosis of prostate cancer is based on prostate-specific Ag measurements that do not distinguish benign hypertrophy from malignancy. We show in this study that development of anti-CCL2 Abs is selective to the malignant stage. From a clinically oriented perspective, we show, in an experimental model of the disease, that DNA-based amplification of this response suppresses disease, which has implications for a novel way of therapy in humans.
Izhak
Liat
L
Department of Immunology, the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences, Technion-Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.
Wildbaum
Gizi
G
Weinberg
Uri
U
Uri
Weinberg
W
Shaked
Yuval
Y
Alami
Jennifer
J
Dumont
Daniel
D
Friedman
Boris
B
Stein
Avi
A
Karin
Nathan
N
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D018925:Chemokines / Q000032:analysis; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008875:Middle Aged; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D001323:Autoantibodies; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018925:Chemokines; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D019444:Vaccines, DNA