Mature Dendritic Cells are Superior to Immature Dendritic Cells in Expanding Antigen-specific Naïve and Memory CD8+ T Cells

Abstract

Background: For successful dendritic cell (DC)-based immunotherapy, it is critical to identify the most potent stage of human DCs, including immature DCs (imDCs) and mature DCs (mDCs). Materials and Methods: imDCs were obtained by culturing monocytes in the presence of GM-CSF and IL-4 for 5-7 days and imDCs were further cultured for 24-48h in the presence of TNFα, IL-6, IL-1β and PGE₂ to obtain mDCs. Melan-A- and EBV (BRF1) peptides were used and the frequency of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells was assessed using appropriate tetramers. Results: mDCs were potent antigen-presenting cells for the induction and proliferation of antigen-specific naive and memory CD8+ T cells and may overcome regulatory functions that suppress antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. Conclusion: Our findings that mDCs can efficiently expand antigen-specific naive and memory CD8+ T cells have important implications in the development of vaccination strategies and support the use of antigen-loaded mature DCs in human clinical trials