Killer dendritic cells: mechanisms of action and therapeutic implications for cancer.

Dendritic cells (DC) are essential for the development and regulation of adaptive host immune responses against tumors. DC are heterogeneous and comprised of diverse cellular subsets. They are best known for mediating a crucial role in the initiation of acquired immunity by serving as professional antigen presenting cells (APC) that take up antigens in their local microenvironment, which are then processed and presented to naïve T cells in the context of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and II molecules. In addition to these functions, DC can modulate the types of T cell responses they generate, and can also influence the responses of innate effectors, such as NK cells. There is also now evidence that they may mediate a more primordial role as innate, effector cells that are tumoricidal. 'Killer' DC (KDC) may represent a true 'multi-tasking' cell type that can sequentially act as a 'hunter-gatherer' of antigens; as well as, an instructor, then enforcer/regulator, of antigen-specific anti-tumor T-cell responses in vivo. In this review, we will critically examine the published record regarding KDC, their mechanism(s) of action, and then consider the potential integration of KDC into novel immunotherapies for patients with cancer.

IL-1 beta induces dendritic cells to produce IL-12.

The cytokine IL-12, a product of dendritic cells (DC), plays a major role in cellular immunity, notably by inducing lymphocytes to produce IFN-gamma. Microbial products, T cell signals and cytokines induce the production of IL-12. Here, IL-1 beta is identified as a new IL-12-inducing agent, acting conjointly with CD40 ligand (CD40L) on human monocyte-derived DC in vitro. The effects of IL-1 beta were dose dependent, specifically blocked by neutralizing antibodies, and were observed both in immature and mature DC. Immature DC secreted more IL-12 than mature DC, but the effects of IL-1 beta were not due to a block of DC maturation as determined by analysis of DC surface markers. The mechanisms of action of IL-1 beta could be contrasted to that of other inducers of IL-12 such as IFN-gamma and lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Either IL-1 beta or IFN-gamma co-induced IL-12 with CD40L but conjointly, IL-1 beta, CD40L and IFN-gamma synergized, inducing very high levels of IL-12. The effects of IL-1 beta differed from those of LPS in that IL-1 beta, unlike LPS, could not induce IL-12 solely after IFN-gamma priming; and when combined with CD40L, IL-1 beta, unlike LPS, induced little IL-10. The mechanism of action of IL-1 beta involves IL-12 alpha mRNA up-regulation, and we show that the combination of CD40L and IL-1 beta induces high levels of IL-12 alpha and IL-12 beta mRNA in DC. Altogether, these results delineate a new mechanism linking adaptive and innate immune responses for the regulation of IL-12 production in DC and for the role of IL-1 beta in the development of cellular immunity.

Regulation of T cell cytokine production by dendritic cells generated in vitro from hematopoietic progenitor cells.

When dendritic cells (DC) present antigens to T cells, reciprocal cellular interactions occur that lead to cytokine production. This cytokine response is regulated by specific properties of DC, notably their maturation/activation status and perhaps their origin. The latter possibility prompted us to determine if DC produced along distinct developmental pathways induced distinct T cell responses. Hematopoietic progenitor cells with the potential to differentiate into multiple lineages of cells were induced to differentiate into DC along two pathways. One leads to the formation of lymphoid-related DC but not of monocyte-derived DC and is induced by culture of CD34(+) cells with flt-3 ligand (F), c-kit ligand (K), GM-CSF (Gm), IL-1beta ("1"), and IL-7 ("7") (FKGm17). Another pathway with distinct molecular requirements supports in part monocyte-derived DC and is induced by the cytokines F, K, Gm, TNF-alpha (T), and IL-4 ("4") (FKGmT4). DC produced along these two pathways were isolated by flow cytometry and compared. They differed only slightly in phenotype and morphology and both induced Th1-type cytokine production in MLR (mixed lymphocyte reactions). However, on a cell-per-cell basis, FKGm17-DC produced more IL-18 or IL-12 and induced more IFN-gamma by T cells in MLR. Such superior properties were not intrinsically determined by the origin of the DC but were induced by FKGm17 cytokines. We conclude that lymphoid-related DC have the potential to induce Th1 T cell responses but that environmental signals strongly influence T-cell-stimulating properties of DC.