Interleukin-27 (IL-27), a novel IL-6/IL-12 family cytokine, plays an important role in the early regulation of Th1 responses. The cytokine IL-27 can exert a variety of immune-regulatory functions including cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL), CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes activation and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production. In this study, we developed an effective and gene modified tumor cell vaccine. Lewis lung cancer cell LL/2 transfected with the DOTAP:cholesterol cationic liposome could express the mouse IL-27 (mIL-27) gene at a relative high level. The resultant transfectants were then irradiated with X-ray and used as a tumor cell vaccine. This tumor cell vaccine not only contained tumor associated antigen (TAA) of LL/2 cells but also secreted mIL-27 which could induce immune response in mice. The mice vaccinated with LL/2-mIL-27 performed strong tumor inhibiting effect accompanied with a high IFN-γ production. Both CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes were significantly elevated in these mice vaccinated with LL/2-mIL-27 cell vaccine. Moreover, after depletion of CD4+, CD8+ T lymphocytes by injection of antibodies against CD4 and CD8, the vaccinated mice inoculated with autologous LL/2 cells were not protected from tumor challenge. In contrast, vaccinated mice inoculated with autologous LL/2 cells were treated with antibody against natural killer (NK)cells or normal rat IgG still possessed strong antitumor activity. Our data suggested that DOTAP:cholesterol cationic liposome was quite useful in generating an autologous tumor cell vaccine and mIL-27 could be therapeutically used to potentiate the host antitumor immunity.
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