The critical role of Th1-dominant immunity in tumor immunology

• Published in: Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology Vol. 46; no. S1; pp. S52 - S61
• Main Authors: NISHIMURA, T, NAKUI, M, SATO, M, IWAKABE, K, KITAMURA, H, SEKIMOTO, M, OHTA, A, KODA, T, NISHIMURA, S
• Format: Conference Proceeding Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 2000
• Subjects: AIDS/HIV; Animals; Antineoplastic agents; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer Vaccines - immunology; Cytokines - biosynthesis; Cytokines - immunology; Dendritic Cells - immunology; Epitopes, T-Lymphocyte - immunology; Female; Galactosylceramides - pharmacology; Genetic Therapy; Immunity, Cellular - immunology; Immunologic Memory - immunology; Immunotherapy; Immunotherapy, Adoptive - methods; Interleukin-12 - genetics; Interleukin-12 - pharmacology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - genetics; Lymphoma, B-Cell - immunology; Lymphoma, B-Cell - therapy; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Transgenic; Neoplasm Transplantation; Ovalbumin - genetics; Ovalbumin - immunology; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Th1 Cells - immunology; Th1 Cells - metabolism; Th2 Cells - immunology; Th2 Cells - metabolism; Transfection; Dendritic cell; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Treatment; Mouse; Animal; Immunotherapy; Rodentia; Cytokine; Interleukin 12; Cellular immunity; Malignant tumor
• ISSN: 0344-5704; 1432-0843
• DOI: 10.1007/pl00014051

To investigate the precise role of antigen-specific Th1 and Th2 cells in tumor immunity, we developed a novel adoptive tumor-immunotherapy model using OVA-specific Th1 and Th2 cells and an OVA gene-transfected tumor. This therapeutic model demonstrated that both antigen-specific Th1 and Th2 cells had strong antitumor activity in vivo with distinct mechanisms. However, immunological memory suitable for the generation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes was induced only when tumor-bearing mice received Th1 cell therapy, but not Th2 cell therapy. Thus it was strongly suggested that Th1-dominant immunity is critically important for the induction of antitumor cellular immunity in vivo. We also proposed that several immunomodulating protocols using interleukin (IL)-12, IL-12 gene, the natural killer T cell ligand alpha-galactosylceramide, or Th1 cytokine-conditioned dendritic cells might be useful strategies for the induction of Th1-dominant immunity essential for the development of tumor-specific immunotherapy.