Immunotherapeutic effects of TCL-E5 and TCL-E5-pulsed DCs: two novel HPV therapeutic vaccine candidates

This study investigated the potential of HPV16 E5 oncoprotein-modified tumor cell lysate (TCL-E5) and dendritic cells (DCs) pulsed with TCL-E5 (TCL-E5-pulsed DCs) to enhance antitumor immunity in a murine model. For generation of TCL-E5, TC1 tumor cells were transduced with lentiviral particles harboring E5 protein. Moreover, the cell supernatants were prepared from DCs pulsed with TCL-E5. Their immunological responses and antitumor effects were investigated in a mouse model. The TCL-E5-pulsed DCs regimen could direct immunity toward Th1 and CTL responses, leading to tumor volume reduction and high percentage of tumor-free mice. The TCL-pulsed DCs regimen could not induce significant antitumor effects compared to TCL-E5-pulsed-DCs regimen indicating main role of E5 in vaccine development.