IL-12 production by human monocyte-derived dendritic cells: looking at the single cell.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are under investigation as immunotherapeutic agents in the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases. One of the important factors in skewing the immune response toward clinically beneficial TH1-type immunity is interleukin-12p70. IL-12p70 is synthesized and secreted in response to inflammatory cytokines, bacterial/viral components, and CD40 ligation. This study investigated the production of IL-12 by DCs at the single-cell level using a sensitive intracellular cytokine flow cytometry-based assay system. The authors observed that immature DCs could be stimulated with several compounds to produce IL-12, but that IL-12 production was a feature of a minority of activated DCs. IL-12+ DCs were characterized as being partially matured (ie, absent or low CD83 expression, with variable expression of CD1a and CD64). Interestingly, activated DCs lacked expression of the CD16 and CD64 Fc gammaR, which may have important implications for exogenous antigen-loading strategies.
Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. jan.m-b@web.de
Jan
J
Muller-Berghaus
Walter C
WC
Olson
Rachel A
RA
Moulton
William T
WT
Knapp
Dirk
D
Schadendorf
Walter J
WJ
Storkus
D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000276:immunology; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free / Q000494:pharmacology; D016207:Cytokines / Q000494:pharmacology; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D018664:Interleukin-12 / Q000378:metabolism*; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000166:cytology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation / Q000276:immunology; D009000:Monocytes / Q000166:cytology*; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000378:metabolism; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology
D015703:Antigens, CD; D016895:Culture Media, Serum-Free; D016207:Cytokines; D053762:Interleukin-12 Subunit p40; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D021122:Protein Subunits; D018664:Interleukin-12