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The Efficient Generation of Immunocompetent Dendritic Cells from Leukemic Blasts in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Local Experience

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Pathology & Oncology Research

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most important antigen presenting cells with potentially useful applications in cancer immunotherapy. Leukemic cells of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) could be differentiated to DC-like cells possessing the ability of stimulating anti-leukemic immune response. Despite obvious progress in DC-based immunotherapy, some discrepancies were reported in differentiation potential of AML blasts from all patients toward DC like cells. The present study, as a local experience, was set up to generate DCs from AML blasts of various subtypes. Leukemic Blasts from 16 Iranian AML patients were differentiated into functional DCs by culturing in the presence of rhGM-CSF, rhIL-4 and TNF-alpha for 8 days. The morphology, expression of key surface molecules and allostimulatory activity of resultant DCs were compared with primary blasts and cultured but cytokine untreated control groups. The pattern of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) expression was used to approve the leukemic origin of generated DCs. Neo-expression or upregulation of DC-associated markers were occurred during culturing period in cytokine treated cells compared with primary blasts and cultured but cytokine untreated control groups: CD1a (63.22% vs. 3.22% and 11.79%), CD83 (41.27% vs. 0.11% and 0.70%), CD40 (15.17% vs. 0.00% and 0.04%), CD80 (49.96 vs. 0.02% and 0.32%), CD86 (56.49% vs. 0.50% and 5.71%) and HLA-DR (52.52% vs. 14.32% and 2.49%) respectively. The potency of generated DCs to induce allogeneic T cell proliferation increased significantly compared to pre and post culture control groups (27,533.4 ± 2,548.3, 8,820.4 ± 1,639.4 and 3,200.35 ± 976 respectively). The expression pattern of ACE in AML-DCs, blast cells and DCs derived from normal monocytes (7.93%, 1.28% and 74.97% respectively) confirmed the leukemic origin of DCs. Our data confirmed the generation of sufficient AML-derived cells with the properties of DCs in all cases. This potency of AML blasts, offers a useful route for active immunotherapy of AML patients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are greatly indebted to the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF) for their financial supports. We also would like to thank the personnel of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Research Center (Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran), and the members of Flow cytometry Department of Iranian Blood Transfusion Organization, especially from Mr. Hajati Smerdis for their kind supports and valuable technical assistances.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box 14115-331, Tehran, Iran

    Kambiz Bagheri, Ali Akbar Pourfathollah, Zuhair Muhammad Hassan & Seyyed Mohammad Moazzeni

  2. Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Kamran Alimoghadam

  3. Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Jamshid Hajati

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  1. Kambiz Bagheri
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  2. Kamran Alimoghadam
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  3. Ali Akbar Pourfathollah
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Correspondence to Seyyed Mohammad Moazzeni.

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Bagheri, K., Alimoghadam, K., Pourfathollah, A.A. et al. The Efficient Generation of Immunocompetent Dendritic Cells from Leukemic Blasts in Acute Myeloid Leukemia: A Local Experience. Pathol. Oncol. Res. 15, 257–267 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12253-008-9105-1

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