A novel antiangiogenic effect for telomerase-specific virotherapy through host immune system

J Immunol. 2009 Feb 1;182(3):1763-9. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.182.3.1763.

Abstract

Soluble factors in the tumor microenvironment may influence the process of angiogenesis; a process essential for the growth and progression of malignant tumors. In this study, we describe a novel antiangiogenic effect of conditional replication-selective adenovirus through the stimulation of host immune reaction. An attenuated adenovirus (OBP-301, Telomelysin), in which the human telomerase reverse transcriptase promoter element drives expression of E1 genes, could replicate in and cause selective lysis of cancer cells. Mixed lymphocyte-tumor cell culture demonstrated that OBP-301-infected cancer cells stimulated PBMC to produce IFN-gamma into the supernatants. When the supernatants were subjected to the assay of in vitro angiogenesis, the tube formation of HUVECs was inhibited more efficiently than recombinant IFN-gamma. Moreover, in vivo angiogenic assay using a membrane-diffusion chamber system s.c. transplanted in nu/nu mice showed that tumor cell-induced neovascularization was markedly reduced when the chambers contained the mixed lymphocyte-tumor cell culture supernatants. The growth of s.c. murine colon tumors in syngenic mice was significantly inhibited due to the reduced vascularity by intratumoral injection of OBP-301. The antitumor as well as antiangiogenic effects, however, were less apparent in SCID mice due to the lack of host immune responses. Our data suggest that OBP-301 seems to have antiangiogenic properties through the stimulation of host immune cells to produce endogenous antiangiogenic factors such as IFN-gamma.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / pathology
  • Adenocarcinoma / therapy
  • Adenocarcinoma / virology
  • Adenoviridae / enzymology*
  • Adenoviridae / immunology
  • Adenoviridae Infections / enzymology
  • Adenoviridae Infections / immunology*
  • Adenoviridae Infections / pathology
  • Adenoviridae Infections / therapy*
  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors / therapeutic use*
  • Animals
  • Cell Line
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / pathology
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / therapy
  • Colorectal Neoplasms / virology
  • Female
  • Genetic Vectors / immunology
  • Humans
  • Lymphocyte Culture Test, Mixed
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Mice, Inbred ICR
  • Mice, Nude
  • Mice, SCID
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / enzymology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / immunology
  • Neovascularization, Pathologic / therapy
  • Oncolytic Virotherapy / methods*
  • Telomerase / therapeutic use*

Substances

  • Angiogenesis Inhibitors
  • Telomerase