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Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Cell-mediated Immune Responses

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

Antigens Involved in Adaptive Immunity

An antigen is any substance the immune system identifies as foreign and potentially harmful to the body, prompting an immune response. Antigens have two functional properties: immunogenicity and reactivity. Immunogenicity is the ability of an antigen to stimulate a specific immune response. At the same time, reactivity describes the antigen's ability to react with the cells and antibodies produced in response to it.
Complete Antigens
Complete antigens possess both immunogenicity and reactivity.

Antigen Presenting Cells

Antigen Presenting Cells

The immune system is a complex network of cells and molecules that protects the body from foreign invaders. T cells, a type of white blood cell, play a crucial role in this process. They recognize and attack foreign substances, such as pathogens, that enter the body.
T cells require the help of antigen-presenting cells (APCs), which process foreign antigens into smaller fragments that can be recognized by T cells. These APCs are highly specialized cells that efficiently internalize antigens...

Antigen Processing Pathways

Antigen Processing Pathways

MHC molecules are key players in the immune response, enabling T cells to recognize and respond to specific antigens. They are present on the surface of all nucleated cells in the body and are instrumental in presenting antigens to T cells and activating them. T cells recognize the MHC-antigen complex and initiate an immune response. MHC class I and MHC class II are two main types of MHC molecules, each associated with a distinct antigen processing pathway.
MHC Class I: Presenting Endogenous...

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T Cell Activation and Clonal Selection

T cells are integral to our adaptive immune system, recognizing and effectively responding to foreign antigens. T cell activation and clonal selection are pivotal in orchestrating this immune response. This article elucidates these mechanisms, detailing the roles of cluster of differentiation (CD) markers, major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules, costimulatory signals, and the process of clonal selection.
Naive T cells that have not yet encountered an antigen express two primary CD...

Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 21, 2026

Isolation Protocol of Mouse Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Their Subsequent In Vitro Activation with Tumor Immune Complexes

Isolation Protocol of Mouse Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells and Their Subsequent In Vitro Activation with Tumor Immune Complexes

Published on: May 31, 2018

Immune complex-mediated antigen presentation induces tumor immunity.

Khadija Rafiq¹, Amy Bergtold, Raphael Clynes

¹Department of Medicine and Microbiology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 West 168th Street, New York, NY 10032, USA.

The Journal of Clinical Investigation

|July 3, 2002

Summary

Targeting antigens to Fc receptors on dendritic cells (DCs) activates strong T cell responses, crucial for tumor immunity. This Fc receptor targeting approach enhances both CD4 and CD8 T cell immunity, offering a new strategy for vaccine development.

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Area of Science:

Immunology
Cell Biology
Cancer Research

Background:

Dendritic cells (DCs) are key initiators of adaptive immunity through antigen uptake.
Fc receptors on DCs facilitate efficient antigen entry for immune responses.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the role of Fc receptor-mediated antigen targeting on DCs for initiating adaptive immunity.
To determine if Fc receptor targeting can induce effective anti-tumor responses.

Main Methods:

Loading DCs with ovalbumin-containing immune complexes.
Immunizing mice with wild-type or FcgammaRgamma(-/-) DCs.
Assessing tumor immunity in ovalbumin-expressing tumors.
Evaluating the requirement for beta(2) microglobulin, TAP, and MHC class II in Fc receptor-mediated cross-presentation.

Main Results:

Targeting antigens to Fc receptors on DCs induced robust Th1 CD4 and CD8 effector responses, including delayed-type hypersensitivity and tumor immunity.
Immunization with Fc receptor-targeted DCs conferred specific immunity against ovalbumin-expressing tumors.
Tumor protection was abolished when DCs lacked essential components for antigen presentation (beta(2) microglobulin, TAP, MHC class II), confirming MHC class I- and class II-restricted responses.
Fc receptor-mediated endocytosis activates the cross-presentation pathway, linking humoral and cellular immunity.

Conclusions:

Fc receptor targeting on DCs effectively initiates both MHC class I- and class II-restricted immune responses.
This pathway is critical for developing effector tumor immunity.
Antitumor antibodies could enhance tumor-specific T cell responses, supporting Fc receptor targeting in vaccine design.