Dendritic cells present an intracellular viral antigen derived from apoptotic cells and induce a T-cell response

We investigated if dendritic cells (DCs) were able to present intracellularly located antigens derived from apoptotic cells to T cells, thereby inducing a CD4+ and a CD8+ response. A transfected cell line with the cytomegalovirus-derived protein pp65 was triggered to go into apoptosis by ultraviolet B (UVB) irradiation, and after the uptake of apoptotic cells by DC, the activation and proliferation of T cells were determined. We found that DC efficiently phagocytosed apoptotic cells and induced a CD4+ and a CD8+ T-cell response specific for the viral protein pp65. This mechanism can be useful for vaccination studies to induce an antiviral immune response.