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Alloantibodies, in particular immunoglobulin G (allo-IgG), confer a rejection advantage to tumors sharing the same major histocompatibility complex (MHC) in mice. However, when administrated intratumorally, this effect can only be achieved in combination with dendritic cells (DCs) activation. Here, we developed high titer allo-IgG by multiple rounds of immunization with allogenic B16 melanoma cells, which allows for the strong binding with B16 cells. We demonstrate that B16 cells incubated with these allo-IgG (referred to as allo-IgG-B16) become highly immunogenic, which release tumor antigens that are efficiently presented by classic DCs in lymph nodes (LNs). Injection of allo-IgG-B16 turns the tumor into an immune hot one and even elicits a systemic antitumor response when used together with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). This systemic response is tumor-specific and relies on the critical site - LNs. Our findings provide a rationale for the use of allo-IgG in cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Hypofractionated radiation therapy (hRT) combined with immune checkpoint blockade can induce T-cell-mediated local and abscopal antitumor effects. We had previously observed peak levels of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) between days 5 and 8 after hRT. Because TILs are regarded as radiosensitive, hRT schedules extending into this period might be less immunogenic, prompting us to compare clinically relevant, short and extended schedules with equivalent biologically effective doses combined with anti-programmed cell death 1 (PD1) antibody treatment.Methods and Materials: In mice bearing 2 B16-CD133 melanoma tumors, the primary tumor was irradiated with 3 × 9.18 Gy in 3 or 5 days or with 5 × 6.43 Gy in 10 days; an anti-PD1 antibody was given weekly. The mice were monitored for tumor growth and survival. T-cell responses were determined on days 8 and 15 of treatment. The role of regional lymph nodes was studied by administering FTY720, which blocks lymph node egress of activated T cells. Tumor growth measurements after combination treatment using short or extended hRT and control treatment were also performed in the wild-type B16 melanoma and 4T1 breast carcinoma models.Results: In the B16-CD133 model, growth inhibition of irradiated primary and nonirradiated secondary tumors and overall survival were similar with all 3 hRT/anti-PD1 combinations, superior to hRT and anti-PD1 monotherapy, and was strongly dependent on CD8+ T cells. TIL infiltration and local and systemic tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell responses were also similar, regardless of whether short or extended hRT was used. Administration of FTY720 accelerated growth of both primary and secondary tumors, strongly reduced their TIL infiltration, and increased tumor-specific CD8+ T cells in the lymph nodes draining the irradiated tumor. In the 4T1 model, local and abscopal tumor control was also similar, regardless of whether short or extended hRT was used, although the synergy between hRT and anti-PD1 was weaker. No synergies were found in the B16 wild-type model lacking an exogenous antigen.Conclusions: Our data suggest that combination therapy with hRT schedules extending into the period during which treatment-induced T cells infiltrate the irradiated tumor can provoke local and systemic antitumor effects similar to those with therapy using shorter schedules, if the regional lymph nodes supply sufficient tumor-specific T cells. This has implications for planning clinical RT/immune checkpoint blockade trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are demonstrated to be usually less sensitive to conventional methods of cancer therapies, resulting in tumor relapse. It is well-known that an ideal treatment would be able to selectively target and kill CSCs, so as to avoid the tumor reversion. The aim of our present study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a dendritic cell (DC) based vaccine against CSCs in a mouse model of malignant melanoma. C57BL/6 mouse bone marrow derived DCs pulsed with a murine melanoma cell line (B16F10) or CSC lysates were used as a vaccine. Immunization of mice with CSC lysate-pulsed DCs was able to induce a significant prophylactic effect by a higher increase in lifespan and obvious depression of tumor growth in tumor bearing mice. The mice vaccinated with DCs loaded with CSC-lysate were revealed to produce specific cytotoxic responses to CSCs. The proliferation assay and cytokine (IFN-γ and IL-4) secretion of mice vaccinated with CSC lysate-pulsed DCs also showed more favorable results, when compared to those receiving B16F10 lysate-pulsed DCs. These findings suggest a potential strategy to improve the efficacy of DC-based immunotherapy of cancers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]