Dendritic Cells Infiltrating Tumors Cotransduced with Granulocyte/Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor (Gm-Csf) and Cd40 Ligand Genes Take up and Present Endogenous Tumor-Associated Antigens, and Prime Naive Mice for a Cytotoxic T Lymphocyte Response

We transduced BALB/c-derived C-26 colon carcinoma cells with granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and CD40 ligand (CD40L) genes to favor interaction of these cells with host dendritic cells (DCs) and, therefore, cross-priming. Cotransduced cells showed reduced tumorigenicity, and tumor take was followed by regression in some mice. In vivo tumors were heavily infiltrated with DCs that were isolated, phenotyped, and tested in vitro for stimulation of tumor-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs). BALB/c C-26 carcinoma cells express the endogenous murine leukemia virus (MuLV) env gene as a tumor-associated antigen. This antigen is shared among solid tumors of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice and contains two epitopes, AH-1 and KSP, recognized in the context of major histocompatibility complex class I molecules H-2Ld and H-2Kb, respectively. DCs isolated from C-26/GM/CD40L tumors grown in (BALB/c × C57BL/6)F1 mice (H-2d×b) stimulated interferon γ production by both anti–AH-1 and KSP CTLs, whereas tumor-infiltrating DCs (TIDCs) of BALB/c mice stimulated only anti–AH-1 CTLs. Furthermore, TIDCs primed naive mice for CTL activity as early as 2 d after injection into the footpad