Enhancement of anti-tumor immunity by tumor cells transfected with the secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine EBI-1-ligand chemokine and stromal cell–derived factor-1αchemokine genes

Several new lymphocyte-specific chemokines, which attract naive and memory T cells, B cells, dendritic cells and natural killer cells, have been isolated. We have found evidence of the anti-tumor effects of 3 major lymphocyte-specific chemokines, secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine (SLC), EBI-1-ligand chemokine (ELC) and stromal cell–derived factor (SDF)-1α, in murine models (Meth A fibrosarcoma and HM-1 ovarian tumor). In both naive and immunized mice, tumors expressing SLC, ELC or SDF-1α showed delayed progression compared with control tumors. In mice immunized with tumor cells expressing 1 of these 3 chemokine genes, challenge with parental tumor cells resulted in slightly slower progression than in control mice, while in mice immunized with tumor cells transfected to co-express IL-2 or granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) as well as these chemokines, all tumors regressed. Furthermore, spleen cells from mice immunized with these “double-transfected” tumor cells exhibited higher proliferative responses and greater cytotoxic activity against parental tumor cells. These anti-tumor effects were associated with profound alterations in the leukocyte populations within the tumors and regional lymph nodes, and this was due to activation of type I T cell-dependent responses that produced high levels of IFN-γ. These findings show that SLC, ELC and SDF-1α enhance anti-tumor immunity both systemically and locally and that these chemokines may be clinically useful, especially when combined with IL-2 and GM-CSF. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.