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Recognition of chronic myelogenous leukaemia cells by autologous T lymphocytes primed in vitro against the patient's dendritic cells
Author(s) -
Müller Ludmila,
Provenzani Carmelinda,
Faul Christoph,
Pawelec Graham
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2141.2001.02596.x
Subject(s) - immunology , dendritic cell , immunotherapy , immune system , antigen , cytokine , antigen presenting cell , t cell , medicine , biology , cancer research
Defects in immune responses are common in patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML). However, using dendritic cells (DCs) to promote T‐cell immunity in vitro may nonetheless elicit potent specific anti‐tumour responses for use in immunotherapy. Here, we show that DCs generated from CML patients had a typical dendritic phenotype and were able to stimulate autologous T cells. Three primed T‐cell lines were studied in more detail in one patient. They were stimulated by autologous CML cells, but not by normal non‐leukaemic cells from the patient's HLA‐identical sibling. This was blocked by HLA‐DR‐specific, but not HLA‐DQ‐ or HLA‐DP‐specific antibodies. CML‐stimulated cytokine secretion, including interferon‐γ and granulocyte macrophage‐colony stimulating factor, suggested a Th1‐type phenotype for these sensitized anti‐leukaemic T cells. This study therefore shows that cells with a functional dendritic phenotype can be generated from the blood of CML patients and are potent inducers of T‐cell responses to tumour cells. This approach allows sensitization of patients' T cells by their own particular tumour without the need to identify the exact leukaemia antigens involved, and may find application in immunotherapy of CML.