Tumor Specific CD4+ T-Cell Costimulation Through a Novel Receptor Ligand Interaction.

Abstract

CD4+ T cells specific for tumor antigens have been less well characterized than CD8+ T cells. There appears to be two main reasons for this discrepancy; (1) CD8(+) T cells isolated from tumor (tumor infiltrating lymphocytes; TIL) preferentially expand in the presence of anti-CD3 and IL-2, and (2) CD4(+) T cells isolated from a tumor environment appear to be defective in signaling and therefore may not have the capacity to proliferate to tumor/tumor-associated Ag. We will attempt bypass these limitations by using a novel approach to costimulate a tumor specific CD4(+) T cell memory response. Recently, we found that CD4(+) T cells isolated near the tumor sites of patients with melanoma and head and neck cancer expressed the OX-40 receptor, but not cells in the periphery of these same patients. It is our hypothesis that these OX-40(+) T cells were recently activated in vivo in response to tumor antigens. If a costimulatory signal could be provided to these OX-40(+) T cells by the OX-40 ligand, then clonal expansion of CD4(+) T cells specific tumor should occur. In this proposal we will characterize OX-40 expression by human and mouse CD4(+) T cells specific for breast cancer and attempt to expand them both in vivo and in vitro with MHC II(+) tumors transfected with the OX-40 ligand, in essence making the tumor an antigen presenting cell capable of priming CD4 T cell immunity.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Aug 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA359629

Entities

People

  • Andrew D. Weinberg

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Animals
  • Antigens
  • Biomedical Research
  • Blood
  • Boundaries
  • Breast Cancer
  • Cells
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Immune System
  • Immunity
  • Lymph Nodes
  • Lymphatic System
  • Lymphocytes
  • Materials
  • Medical Personnel
  • Neoplasms
  • Therapy

Fields of Study

  • Biology
  • Medicine

Readers

  • Analytical Mechanics
  • Immunology