K. Wetzel et al., Transduction of human MCP-3 by a parvoviral vector induces leukocyte infiltration and reduces growth of human cervical carcinoma cell xenografts, J GENE MED, 3(4), 2001, pp. 326-337
Background The oncosuppressive properties of some autonomous parvoviruses s
uch as H-1 virus, together with their low pathogenicity, make them attracti
ve vectors for tumor-directed gene therapy. Indeed, it was recently shown t
hat these viruses became endowed with an enhanced oncosuppressive activity
after they had been engineered to deliver a recognized therapeutic transgen
e. This prompted us to use a parvoviral vector to analyse the antineoplasti
c capacity of MCP-3 (monocyte chemotactic protein-3), a CC chemokine which
has a broad spectrum of target cells, and can thus be considered to be a pr
omising candidate for cancer treatment.
Methods We explored the use of a parvovirus H-1-based vector encoding human
MCP-3 for its antitumor potential on human cervical carcinoma cells. HeLa
cells were infected in vitro with the recombinant virus hH1/MCP-3 at a low
multiplicity [1 replication unit (RU)/cell] and we investigated the effect
of parvovirus-mediated MCP-3 transduction on tumor formation and growth upo
n implantation of HeLa cells in nude mice.
Results Infection of HeLa cells with hH1/MCP-3 led to secretion of high lev
els of MCP-3 and to significant retardation of tumor growth in recipient mi
ce, as compared with HeLa cells that were either buffer-treated or infected
with a MCP-3-free vector. Tumors from hH1/MCP-3-infected HeLa. cells were
heavily infiltrated with activated macrophages and showed increased numbers
of dendritic cells. In addition, activated natural killer (NK) cells were
also recruited into MCP-3-transduced tumors.
Conclusion These observations indicate that parvovirus H-1-transduced MCP-3
is able to exert a significant antitumor activity which is mediated, at le
ast in part, through macrophages and NK cells, under conditions in which ac
tivated T cells are lacking. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.