Study on Specific Anti-Leukemia Function of Dendritic Cells (DC) Vaccine Induced from Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML).

Objective In this article, we explore the feasibility of dendritic cells (DCs) induced from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) with different cytokine cocktails and the mechanisms of immunological responses by specific T lymphocytes primed by this kind of DC vaccine.

Methods Monocytes (MNCs) for the generation of DC were collected from patients with high numbers of circulating peripheral blood CML cells, then cultured with different cytokine cocktails in different cultural medium (Fetal calf serum or Human serum albumin medium) to induce DCs. DCs were studied for morphology and immunofluorescent staining. RT-PCR was used to analyze the specific fusion genes and chromosome banding technique were used to detect Philadelphia chromosome (ph’). In vitro, DCs were used to induce auto-lymphocytes to be activated CTL, killing rates and T subgroups were assayed, IL-12 contents in the supernents were assayed also.

Results After induction, all these CML-derived MNCs developed typical DC morphology and the DC-associated surface molecules upregulated. The contents of IL-12 in the co-culture system of CML-DC and lymphocytes increased and the activated lymphocyte skewed from Th1 to Th2. At and effector: target ratio of 20:1, 80.67±6.43%, 62.33±12.01%, 23.92±5.62% cytotoxicity was noted with CML-DC/AL against autologous leukemia cells, K562, HL60, exhibiting more killing activities to auto-CML cells than K562 and HL60 cell.

Conclusion The results of this research will supply new approach for specific immunotherapy of CML and supply the application value for the CML derived DC vaccine against CML.