RNA-transfected dendritic cells.
Journal Article (Review)
Based on their unique ability to stimulate primary immune responses, dendritic cells are the most potent antigen-presenting cells known. This ability stems from the fact that they are very efficient at the uptake and processing of antigen and they express high levels of major histocompatibility complex class I and class II, as well as costimulatory molecules, which are required to prime naive cytotoxic T-cells. Many groups of investigators have tried to take advantage of these features by developing dendritic cell-based vaccines against tumors and infectious diseases. While the basic principle in these studies is the same--dendritic cells pulsed with antigen are used to elicit cytotoxic T-cell responses--the methods used are varied. This is particularly true with respect to the nature of the antigen used and the method of antigen delivery. In this article, we will focus on the use of RNA as a form of antigen with which to load dendritic cells. We will discuss the rationale behind using RNA as an antigen source and will review recent studies in both murine and human settings that use RNA-pulsed dendritic cells as vaccines.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Nair, S; Boczkowski, D
Published Date
- December 2002
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 1 / 4
Start / End Page
- 507 - 513
PubMed ID
- 12901589
Pubmed Central ID
- 12901589
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 1476-0584
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1586/14760584.1.4.507
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- England