Polyethylenimine-based siRNA nanocomplexes reprogram tumor-associated dendritic cells via TLR5 to elicit therapeutic antitumor immunity

J Clin Invest. 2009 Aug;119(8):2231-44. doi: 10.1172/JCI37716. Epub 2009 Jul 13.

Abstract

The success of clinically relevant immunotherapies requires reversing tumor-induced immunosuppression. Here we demonstrated that linear polyethylenimine-based (PEI-based) nanoparticles encapsulating siRNA were preferentially and avidly engulfed by regulatory DCs expressing CD11c and programmed cell death 1-ligand 1 (PD-L1) at ovarian cancer locations in mice. PEI-siRNA uptake transformed these DCs from immunosuppressive cells to efficient antigen-presenting cells that activated tumor-reactive lymphocytes and exerted direct tumoricidal activity, both in vivo and in situ. PEI triggered robust and selective TLR5 activation in vitro and elicited the production of hallmark TLR5-inducible cytokines in WT mice, but not in Tlr5-/- littermates. Thus, PEI is a TLR5 agonist that, to our knowledge, was not previously recognized. In addition, PEI-complexed nontargeting siRNA oligonucleotides stimulated TLR3 and TLR7. The nonspecific activation of multiple TLRs (specifically, TLR5 and TLR7) reversed the tolerogenic phenotype of human and mouse ovarian tumor-associated DCs. In ovarian carcinoma-bearing mice, this induced T cell-mediated tumor regression and prolonged survival in a manner dependent upon myeloid differentiation primary response gene 88 (MyD88; i.e., independent of TLR3). Furthermore, gene-specific siRNA-PEI nanocomplexes that silenced immunosuppressive molecules on mouse tumor-associated DCs elicited discernibly superior antitumor immunity and enhanced therapeutic effects compared with nontargeting siRNA-PEI nanocomplexes. Our results demonstrate that the intrinsic TLR5 and TLR7 stimulation of siRNA-PEI nanoparticles synergizes with the gene-specific silencing activity of siRNA to transform tumor-infiltrating regulatory DCs into DCs capable of promoting therapeutic antitumor immunity.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antigen Presentation
  • B7-1 Antigen / physiology
  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • Cytotoxicity, Immunologic
  • Dendritic Cells / immunology*
  • Dendritic Cells / physiology
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Membrane Glycoproteins / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88 / physiology
  • Nanoparticles / administration & dosage*
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / immunology
  • Ovarian Neoplasms / therapy*
  • Peptides / physiology
  • Polyethyleneimine / administration & dosage*
  • RNA, Small Interfering / administration & dosage*
  • T-Lymphocytes / immunology
  • Toll-Like Receptor 5 / physiology*

Substances

  • B7-1 Antigen
  • B7-H1 Antigen
  • Cd274 protein, mouse
  • Membrane Glycoproteins
  • Myeloid Differentiation Factor 88
  • Peptides
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Toll-Like Receptor 5
  • Polyethyleneimine