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Department of Dermatology, University of Münster, Münster, Germany;
Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907;
Department of Dermatology, New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Cornell University, New York, NY 10021; and
Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
UV radiation induces skin cancer primarily by its DNA-damaging properties, but also by its capacity to suppress the immune system. The photoisomer of urocanic acid (UCA), cis-UCA, is an important mediator of UV-induced immunosuppression and is involved in the inhibition of tumor immunity. The immunomodulatory cytokine IL-12 is known to counteract many of the immunosuppressive effects of UV radiation, including UV-induced immune tolerance. In this study, we addressed whether IL-12 also reverts the immunosuppressive activities of cis-UCA. Cis-UCA inhibits the ability of Langerhans cells to present tumor Ags for primary and secondary tumor immune responses. IL-12 treatment completely prevented the suppression by cis-UCA. IL-12 also protected mice from cis-UCA-induced suppression of contact hypersensitivity responses. To study the effects of cis-UCA on Ag-processing and Ag-presenting function in vitro, Langerhans cells were treated with UCA isomers and incubated with OVA or OVA peptide323–339 before exposure to OVA-specific transgenic T cells. Cis-, but not trans-UCA suppressed Ag presentation, which was completely reversed upon addition of IL-12. Since these findings suggest that cis-UCA may play an important role in photocarcinogenesis by inhibiting a tumor immune response, mice were chronically UVB irradiated to induce skin cancer. Whereas all mice in the control groups developed tumors, mice treated with a mAb with specificity for cis-UCA showed a significantly reduced tumor incidence. These data strongly indicate the importance of cis-UCA during photocarcinogenesis and support the concept of counteracting cis-UCA as an alternative strategy to prevent UV-induced skin cancer, possibly via the application of IL-12.
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