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Updated: May 12, 2026

Preparation of Tumor Antigen-loaded Mature Dendritic Cells for Immunotherapy
Published on: August 1, 2013
Ageing impairs the T cell response to dendritic cells
Jialu You1, Honglin Dong, Elizabeth R Mann
1Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, The University of Reading, Whiteknights PO Box 226, Reading RG6 6AP, UK.
Abstract:
Dendritic cells (DCs) are critical in priming adaptive T-cell responses, but the effects of ageing on interactions between DCs and T cells are unclear. This study investigated the influence of ageing on the maturation of and cytokine production by human blood-enriched DCs, and the impact on T cell responses in an allogeneic mixed leucocyte reaction (MLR). DCs from old subjects (65-75 y) produced significantly less TNF-α and IFN-γ than young subjects (20-30 y) in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), but expression of maturation markers and co-stimulatory molecules was preserved. In the MLR, DCs from older subjects induced significantly restricted proliferation of young T cells, activation of CD8+ T cells and expression of IL-12 and IFN-γ in T cells compared with young DCs. T cells from older subjects responded more weakly to DC stimulation compared with young T cells, regardless of whether the DCs were derived from young or older subjects. In conclusion, the capacity of DCs to induce T cell activation is significantly impaired by ageing.
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