Analysis of a cholera toxin B subunit (CTB) and human mucin 1 (MUC1) conjugate protein in a MUC1-tolerant mouse model

Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2010 Dec;59(12):1801-11. doi: 10.1007/s00262-010-0906-1. Epub 2010 Sep 8.

Abstract

Since epithelial mucin 1 (MUC1) is associated with several adenocarcinomas at the mucosal sites, it is pertinent to test the efficacy of a mucosally targeted vaccine formulation. The B subunit of the Vibrio cholerae cholera toxin (CTB) has great potential to act as a mucosal carrier for subunit vaccines. In the present study we evaluated whether a MUC1 tandem repeat (TR) peptide chemically linked to CTB would break self-antigen tolerance in the transgenic MUC1-tolerant mouse model (MUC1.Tg) through oral or parenteral immunizations. We report that oral immunization with the CTB-MUC1 conjugate along with mucosal adjuvant, unmethylated CpG oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) and interleukin-12 (IL-12) did not break self-antigen tolerance in MUC1.Tg mice, but induced a strong humoral response in wild-type C57BL/6 mice. However, self-antigen tolerance in the MUC1.Tg mouse model was broken after parenteral immunizations with different doses of the CTB-MUC1 conjugate protein and with the adjuvant CpG ODN co-delivered with CTB-MUC1. Importantly, mice immunized systemically with CpG ODN alone and with CTB-MUC1 exhibited decreased tumor burden when challenged with a mammary gland tumor cell line that expresses human MUC1.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoantigens / immunology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cholera Toxin / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Immune Tolerance
  • Immunization
  • Injections, Intraperitoneal
  • Interleukin-12 / pharmacology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mucin-1 / immunology*
  • Neoplasms, Experimental / therapy*
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides / pharmacology

Substances

  • Autoantigens
  • CPG-oligonucleotide
  • Mucin-1
  • Oligodeoxyribonucleotides
  • Interleukin-12
  • Cholera Toxin