Immune gene therapy of experimental mouse brain tumor with adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of murine interleukin-4

Abstract

 We examined the antitumor activity of replication-deficient adenoviral vectors carrying the murine interleukin-4 (IL-4) gene (AdCIL4) using a syngeneic brain tumor model in mice. Mice implanted with malignant astrocytoma cells infected with AdCIL4 survived significantly longer than those in the control groups. Immunocytochemical analysis of the tumors showed that AdCIL4 caused the strong up-regulation of MHC class II antigen expression by the tumor cells and macrophages, and consequent infiltration by CD8⁺ T lymphocytes. This study demonstrates the efficacy of IL-4 gene transfection mediated by adenoviral vectors for intracerebral tumor and characterizes the immunoreaction caused by AdCIL4.