In vitro generation of human monocyte-derived dendritic cells methodological aspects in a comprehensive review

Abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) initiate and shape both innate and adaptive immune responses. They are specialized in antigen presentation to naive T cells, thereby orchestrating the T cell immune responses. Human peripheral blood and tissues contain several subsets of phenotypically and functionally distinct DCs, which promote interactions between the external environment and lymphoid organs. Because of the difficulty in purifying these cells, in vitro studies only became more frequent when Frederica Sallusto and Antonio Lanzavecchia developed a method to generate DCs from blood monocytes in vitro. Nowadays a wide range of biotechnological innovations has allowed the study of DCs and their precursors in the most diverse situations faced by the immune system. As a result of such studies, monocyte-derived dendritic cells (MDDC) are presently used in clinical protocols for the treatment of a variety of diseases, including cancer and human immunodeficiency virus infection. We summarize recent advances in the understanding of methodologies and inputs used in protocols to differentiate DCs from blood monocytes in vitro.

摘要：树突状细胞（Dendritic cells, DCs）可启动并塑造固有免疫与适应性免疫应答。其专司向初始T细胞呈递抗原，进而调控T细胞免疫应答。人类外周血及组织中存在多个表型与功能各异的树突状细胞亚群，这些亚群介导外界环境与淋巴器官间的相互作用。由于此类细胞纯化难度较高，直至弗雷德里卡·萨卢斯托（Frederica Sallusto）与安东尼奥·兰扎韦基亚（Antonio Lanzavecchia）开发出体外从血液单核细胞诱导生成树突状细胞的方法后，体外相关研究才逐渐增多。如今，各类生物技术创新手段已支持在免疫系统面临的各类场景下开展树突状细胞及其前体细胞的相关研究。得益于此类研究进展，单核细胞来源的树突状细胞（monocyte-derived dendritic cells, MDDC）目前已被应用于包括癌症与人类免疫缺陷病毒感染在内的多种疾病的临床治疗方案中。本文综述了体外从血液单核细胞诱导分化树突状细胞的相关方案中所采用的方法与诱导条件的最新研究进展。