Prophylactic effect of a peptide vaccine targeting TM4SF5 against colon cancer in a mouse model

•We confirmed expression of TM4SF5 in the colon cancer cell line CT-26.•We examined inhibitory effect of anti-TM4SF5 antibody on the growth of CT-26 cells.•Immunization of peptide vaccine induced production of anti-TM4SF5 antibody in mice.•Immunization of peptide vaccine suppressed growth of colon tumors in mice.•Survival rate of tumor-bearing mice increased in the immunized mice.

Expression of transmembrane 4 superfamily member 5 protein (TM4SF5) was implicated in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and colon cancer. Previously, we have shown that immunization with TM4SF5 peptide-CpG-DNA-liposome complex induces production of TM4SF5-specific antibodies and protects mice from HCC progression in an allograft model. Here, we confirmed expression of TM4SF5 in the mouse colon cancer cell line CT-26 and found that anti-TM4SF5 antibody inhibits growth of CT-26 cells. We then immunized mice with TM4SF5 peptide-CpG-DNA-liposome complex and transplanted CT-26 cells to investigate the vaccination effects. Robust production of TM4SF5-specific antibodies was induced by challenge with CT-26 cells and the tumor growth was significantly suppressed in the immunized mice. The peptide vaccine targeting TM4SF5 consequently showed a prophylactic effect against colon cancer development in a mouse model. These results suggest that the peptide vaccine can be potentially applied in humans to treat colon cancer.