In vitro priming of tumor-reactive cytolytic T lymphocytes by combining IL-10 with B7-CD28 costimulation

Naive spleen cells from syngeneic mice generated tumor-reactive CTL following three cycles of in vitro culturing with IL-10 and cells from the P815 mouse mastocytoma that expressed the B7-1 or B7-2 costimulator. Unpurified as well as CD8-enriched naive splenocytes could be used for priming. The in vitro primed CTL were CD8⁺, and their recognition was MHC class I restricted. Both IL-10 and B7-transfected P815 cells were required for the priming. However, a combination of exogenous IL-10 and IL-2 in the presence of B7-negative wild-type P815 cells also induced tumor-reactive CTL. Injection of the neutralizing anti-IL-10 mAb JES-2A5 into mice reduced their ability to mount a primary CTL response after immunization with B7^-1+ P815 cells, and inclusion of this mAb in the in vitro cultures inhibited a secondary CTL response. Adoptive transfer of the in vitro primed CTL had a therapeutic effect in mice with P815 established as an ascites tumor. Our results underscore an important role of IL-10 in the induction of a tumor- specific CTL response.