Killer Dendritic Cells
Professor Bernard Bonnotte, M.D., Ph.D
Department of internal medicine and Immunology,
University Hospital of Dijon, France
Unit UMR 866 of the French National Institute of
Health and Medical Research (Inserm)
Cell Death and Cancer Department
Time: 2009, thursday the 10th of September, 14.00
Place: Auditorium 54N2C, Herlev University Hospital, Herlev Ringvej 75, DK-2730 Herlev
It would be nice to welcome you all
Professor Inge Marie Svane, M.D.
Director
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DC), essential for the initiation and regulation of adaptive immune responses, have been used as anti-cancer vaccines. DC may also directly trigger tumor cell death. In our last studies, we have investigated the tumoricidal and immunostimulatory activities of rat and then mouse bone marrow-derived DC. Our results indicate that rat and mouse BMDCs acquire killing capabilities towards tumor cells only when activated with some TLR ligands (mostly LPS). We demonstrated that LPS-activated rat BMDCs kill tumor DC via the release of nitric oxide. Using different transgenic mouse models including inducible nitric oxide synthase or GP91 knock-out mice, we have further established that LPS- or Pam3Cys-SK4-activated DC killing activity involves peroxynitrites. Importantly, after killing of cancer cells, murine DC are capable of engulfing dead tumor cell fragments and of presenting tumor antigens to specific T lymphocytes. Thus, upon specific stimulation, rat and mouse BMDCs can directly kill tumor cells through a novel peroxynitrite-dependent mechanism and participate at virtually all levels of anti-tumor immune responses which reinforces their interest in immunotherapy. In our current study, we are investigating if human DCs could also become powerful cytotoxic cells.
Download invitation and abstract: seminar September 10, 2009 , MS Word, 91 kb
Last update: september 7, 2009
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