CYTOKINES AS ADJUVANTS - EFFECT ON THE IMMUNOGENICITY OF NEUAC-ALPHA-2-6GALNAC-ALPHA-O-SER THR (SIALYL-TN)/

Sialyl-Tn, defined by monoclonal antibody (MAb) B72.3, shows restricte d normal-tissue distribution but is expressed in a wide variety of car cinomas. To analyze the immunogenicity of sialyl-Tn, mice were immuniz ed with ovine submaxillary mucin (OSM) in combination with monophospho ryl lipid A (MPLA), liposomes, or adjuvants that activate macrophages (rIL-1, rIFN-gamma, rM-CSF, IL-1-derived peptides) or T cells (rIL-2). The level and specificity of the immune response were analyzed by ELI SA. rIL-1 and rIFN-gamma induced a very high and specific antibody res ponse, whereas the effect of rM-CSF was dose-dependent: at a low dose it induced a high-level specific antibody response and at the high dos e level it induced a polyclonal non-specific response. These results i ndicate that cytokines are powerful adjuvants which modulate both the magnitude and specificity of the immune response. More studies are nec essary to determine the optimal doses in animal models and in active s pecific immunotherapy of patients with cancer. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, In c.