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Optimized Protocol for Efficient Transfection of Dendritic Cells without Cell Maturation
Published on: July 8, 2011
Reverse signaling using an inducible costimulator to enhance immunogenic function of dendritic cells
Gusheng Tang1, Qin Qin, Peng Zhang
1Department of Laboratory Diagnosis, Changhai Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Room 701, Building of Laboratory Medicine and Technology, Number 168, Shanghai, China.
Abstract:
A costimulatory signal from an inducible costimulator (ICOS) of T cells plays a critical role in immunological homeostasis. This study shows that the interaction of ICOSIg and its ligand (ICOSL) on mouse bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (DCs) induces a p38-MAPK dependent elevation of interleukin 6 (IL-6). It also enhances phagocytosis and the antigen-presentation function of DCs in vitro, further favoring cell-mediated immunity in vivo. As seen for other types of costimulator molecules expressed in the T cells in the CD28 family, it is shown here for the first time that ICOS can also deliver reverse signals through its ligand to ICOSL-expressing cells. These reverse signals in turn transfer positive immunogenic information to bone marrow-derived DCs. Our work therefore provides new recognition of an ICOSL/ICOS signal pathway in immunity and also supplies more evidence that this ICOSL/ICOS signal pathway is a reasonable target for therapeutic drugs.

