Immunobiology of Dendritic Cells

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells with a unique ability to induce primary immune responses. DCs capture and transfer information from the outside world to the cells of the adaptive immune system. DCs are not only critical for the induction of primary immune responses, but may also be important for the induction of immunological tolerance, as well as for the regulation of the type of T cell-mediated immune response. Although our understanding of DC biology is still in its infancy, we are now beginning to use DC-based immunotherapy protocols to elicit immunity against cancer and infectious diseases.

Major role of local immune responses in antibody formation to factor IX in AAV gene transfer

“…27 While the activation signal in AAV gene transfer is currently unknown, it is now clear that exposure of APCs to F.IX antigen in the muscle has different consequences compared to the liver. The composition of dendritic cells and other APCs or the microenvironment in the muscle may be responsible for increased likelihood of immune responses.…”

Altered phenotype and function of blood dendritic cells in multiple sclerosis are modulated by IFN-βand IL-10

“…Efficient antigen uptake and abundant expression of MHC and costimulatory molecules [33,34] make DCs unique and critical as APCs in priming naive and memory T cells. We hypothesized that DCs from MS patients carry unknown signals, which promote Th1 immune response.…”

CCL19 as an adjuvant for intradermal gene gun immunization in a Her2/neu mouse tumor model: improved vaccine efficacy and a role for B cells as APC

“…This process results in efficient T-cell priming within secondary lymphatic tissues. [4][5][6][7] Although DNA vaccines have been very successful in inducing antigen-specific immune responses in mice, [8][9][10] immunogenicity in humans and large animals has so far been largely disappointing. 3,9,11 The reasons are diverse, but are mostly related to topics such as dosing, application route, tissue distribution and differences in toll-like receptor (TLR) expression patterns between mice and humans.…”