Chemokine-containing exosomes are released from heat-stressed tumor cells via lipid raft-dependent pathway and act as efficient tumor vaccine

J Immunol. 2011 Feb 15;186(4):2219-28. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1002991. Epub 2011 Jan 17.

Abstract

Exosomes derived from dendritic cells or tumor cells are a population of nanometer-sized membrane vesicles that can induce specific antitumor immunity. During investigation of the effects of hyperthermia on antitumor immune response, we found that exosomes derived from heat-stressed tumor cells (HS-TEX) could chemoattract and activate dendritic cells (DC) and T cells more potently than that by conventional tumor-derived exosomes. We show that HS-TEX contain chemokines, such as CCL2, CCL3, CCL4, CCL5, and CCL20, and the chemokine-containing HS-TEX are functionally competent in chemoattracting CD11c(+) DC and CD4(+)/CD8(+) T cells both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, the production of chemokine-containing HS-TEX could be inhibited by ATP inhibitor, calcium chelator, and cholesterol scavenger, indicating that the mobilization of chemokines into exosomes was ATP- and calcium-dependent and via a lipid raft-dependent pathway. We consistently found that the intracellular chemokines could be enriched in lipid rafts after heat stress. Accordingly, intratumoral injection of HS-TEX could induce specific antitumor immune response more efficiently than that by tumor-derived exosomes, thus inhibiting tumor growth and prolonging survival of tumor-bearing mice more significantly. Therefore, our results demonstrate that exosomes derived from HS-TEX represent a kind of efficient tumor vaccine and can chemoattract and activate DC and T cells, inducing more potent antitumor immune response. Release of chemokines through exosomes via lipid raft-dependent pathway may be a new method of chemokine exocytosis.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Cancer Vaccines / administration & dosage
  • Cancer Vaccines / immunology*
  • Cancer Vaccines / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / immunology
  • Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / metabolism
  • Carcinoma, Lewis Lung / prevention & control*
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Chemokines / administration & dosage
  • Chemokines / immunology
  • Chemokines / metabolism*
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology
  • Dendritic Cells / metabolism
  • Exosomes / immunology
  • Exosomes / metabolism*
  • Heat Stress Disorders / immunology
  • Heat Stress Disorders / metabolism
  • Heat Stress Disorders / prevention & control*
  • Hot Temperature
  • Male
  • Melanoma, Experimental / immunology
  • Melanoma, Experimental / metabolism
  • Melanoma, Experimental / prevention & control*
  • Membrane Microdomains / immunology*
  • Membrane Microdomains / metabolism
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Signal Transduction / immunology*
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / immunology
  • T-Lymphocyte Subsets / metabolism

Substances

  • Cancer Vaccines
  • Chemokines