CD80-Transfected Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells Induce Primary Allogeneic T-Cell Responses Directed at Patient Specific Minor Histocompatibility Antigens and Leukemia-Associated Antigens

Lentiviral vectors for efficient delivery of CD80 and granulocyte-macrophage– colony-stimulating factor in human acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia cells to induce antileukemic immune responses

Cell vaccines engineered to express immunomodulators have shown feasibility in eliminating leukemia in murine models. Vectors for efficient gene delivery to primary human leukemia cells are required to translate this approach to clinical trials. In this study, second-generation lentiviral vectors derived from human immunodeficiency virus 1 were evaluated, with the cytomegalovirus (CMV) promoter driving expression of granulocyte-macrophage–colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and CD80 in separate vectors or in a bicistronic vector. The vectors were pseudotyped with vesicular stomatitis virus G glycoprotein and concentrated to high titers (108-109 infective particles/mL). Human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myeloid leukemia cell lines transduced with the monocistronic pHR-CD80 vector or the bicistronic pHR-GM/CD vector became 75% to 95% CD80 positive (CD80+). More important, transduction of primary human ALL and AML blasts with high-titer lentiviral vectors was consistently successful (40%-95% CD80+). The average amount of GM-CSF secretion by the leukemia cell lines transduced with the pHR-GM-CSF monocistronic vector was 2182.9 pg/106 cells per 24 hours. Secretion was markedly lower with the bicistronic pHR-GM/CD vector (average, 225.7 pg/106 cells per 24 hours). Lower amounts of CMV-driven messenger RNA were detected with the bicistronic vector, which may account for its poor expression of GM-CSF. Primary ALL cells transduced to express CD80 stimulated T-cell proliferation in an autologous mixed lymphocyte reaction. This stimulation was specifically blocked with monoclonal antibodies reactive against CD80 or by recombinant cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4–immunoglobulin fusion protein. These results show the feasibility of efficiently transducing primary leukemia cells with lentiviral vectors to express immunomodulators to elicit antileukemic immune responses.

CD34+ Acute Myeloid and Lymphoid Leukemic Blasts Can Be Induced to Differentiate Into Dendritic Cells

CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells from normal individuals and from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia can be induced to differentiate into dendritic cells (DC). The aim of the current study was to determine whether acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells could be induced to differentiate into DC. CD34+ AML-M2 cells with chromosome 7 monosomy were cultured in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), tumor necrosis factor  (TNF), and interleukin-4 (IL-4). After 3 weeks of culture, 35% of the AML-M2 cells showed DC morphology and phenotype. The DC phenotype was defined as upmodulation of the costimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86 and the expression of CD1a or CD83. The leukemic nature of the DC was validated by detection of chromosome 7 monosomy in sorted DC populations by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). CD34+ leukemic cells from 2 B-ALL patients with the Philadelphia chromosome were similarly cultured, but in the presence of CD40-ligand and IL-4. After 4 days of culture, more than 58% of the ALL cells showed DC morphology and phenotype. The leukemic nature of the DC was validated by detection of the bcr-abl fusion gene in sorted DC populations by FISH. In functional studies, the leukemic DC were highly superior to the parental leukemic blasts for inducing allogeneic T-cell responses. Thus, CD34+ AML and ALL cells can be induced to differentiate into leukemic DC with morphologic, phenotypic, and functional similarities to normal DC.