Abstract
A new approach to enhancing the effectiveness of vaccines is to deliver antigens selectively to dendritic cells (DC) in situ, via monoclonal antibodies specific for particular DC surface molecules. This can markedly enhance CTL responses and, via helper T cells, also enhance antibody responses. DC activation agents or adjuvants must also be administered for effective CTL responses, but in some cases good antibody responses can be obtained without adjuvants. Here we review the role of different DC subsets and different DC target molecules in obtaining enhanced immune responses.
Highlights
Dendritic cells (DC) are the crucial sentinel cells of the adaptive immune system (Steinman, 1991). They continuously sample the antigenic environment and are sensors of microbial invasion or tissue damage. They process and present antigens to activate naїve T lymphocytes, but they regulate the nature of the T cell response obtained, determining whether it leads to tolerance or to a Th1 or Th2 effector T cell responses
The extensive studies on DEC-205 targeting indicated that co-administration of factors which activate DC permits effective cellular and immune responses to the antigens coupled to anti-DEC-205 monoclonal antibodies (mAb) (Bonifaz et al, 2004; Boscardin et al, 2006; Soares et al, 2007; Trumpfheller et al, 2008)
These studies have supported the generalisation that targeting antigens to steady-state, non-activated DC leads to tolerance whereas targeting to DC simultaneously activated with adjuvants produces immunity
Summary
Dendritic cells (DC) are the crucial sentinel cells of the adaptive immune system (Steinman, 1991). They continuously sample the antigenic environment and are sensors of microbial invasion or tissue damage They process and present antigens to activate naїve T lymphocytes, but they regulate the nature of the T cell response obtained, determining whether it leads to tolerance or to a Th1 or Th2 effector T cell responses. The current approach uses monoclonal antibodies (mAb) specific for molecules on the DC surface to carry linked antigens directly to the DC (Tacken et al, 2007) In principle this should reduce the quantity of antigen needed and improve the effectiveness of the vaccine injected. We are interested in enhancing antibody responses by this approach, so that is the main focus of this review
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