GENE-THERAPY OF PLASMACYTOMA - COMPARISON OF THE THERAPEUTIC EFFICACYOF TUMOR-CELLS TRANSDUCED WITH THE INTERLEUKIN-2, INTERLEUKIN-4, OR INTERLEUKIN-6 GENES

The present study was designed to compare the tumour inhibitory effect s of local therapy based on insertion of cloned IL-2, IL-4, or IL-6 ge nes into the genome of murine plasmacytoma X63-Ag8.653, followed by in jection of the genetically modified cells to the vicinity of the paren tal plasmacytoma growing in syngeneic mice. It was also designed to in vestigate title effects of combined gene therapy with IL-2- and IL-6-p roducing plasmacytoma cells. It has been found that insertion of the I L-2 gene into the genome of X63-Ag8.653 cells can abrogate tumorigenic ity of the transduced cells more effectively than insertion of the IL- 4 or IL-6 gene. Peritumoral administration of the genetically modified plasmacytoma cells producing IL-6 (X63-h-IL-6) resulted in a therapeu tic effect comparable with that of tile IL-2-producing cells (X63-m-IL -2), whereas no substantial therapeutic, effect of IL-4-producing cell s (X63-m-IL4) was observed. The combined gene therapy with IL-2- and I L-6-producing cells did not give any additive or potentiated therapeut ic effect.