Physiological Oxygen Levels in the Microenvironment Program Ex Vivo-Generated Conventional Dendritic Cells Toward a Tolerogenic Phenotype.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical regulators of immune homeostasis, balancing tolerance and immunity through antigen presentation and T cell modulation. While the influence of hypoxia (<2% O) on DC function in pathological settings is well-documented, the impact of physiological O levels remains underexplored. This study investigates the role of physioxia (4% O) in programming mature DCs toward a tolerogenic phenotype compared to atmospheric conditions (21% O) typically present in in vitro assays.

The Efficiency of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Secretion by mRNA-Electroporated Regulatory T Cells Is Highly Impacted by Their Activation Status.

Genetic engineering of regulatory T cells (Tregs) presents a promising avenue for advancing immunotherapeutic strategies, particularly in autoimmune diseases and transplantation. This study explores the modification of Tregs via mRNA electroporation, investigating the influence of T-cell activation status on transfection efficiency, phenotype, and functionality. For this CD45RA Tregs were isolated, expanded, and modified to overexpress brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).

In vitro expansion of Wilms' tumor protein 1 epitope-specific primary T cells from healthy human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Wilms' tumor protein 1 (WT1) is a tumor-associated antigen overexpressed in various cancers. As a self-antigen, negative selection reduces the number of WT1-specific T cell receptors (TCRs). Here, we provide a protocol to generate WT1-specific TCRs using healthy human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

Anti-Tumor Potency of Short-Term Interleukin-15 Dendritic Cells Is Potentiated by Silencing of Programmed-Death Ligands.

Dendritic cell (DC) vaccines have proven to be a valuable tool in cancer immune therapy. With several DC vaccines being currently tested in clinical trials, knowledge about their therapeutic value has been significantly increased in the past decade. Despite their established safety, it has become clear that objective clinical responses are not yet robust enough, requiring further optimization.