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Updated: May 11, 2026

Artificial Antigen Presenting Cell (aAPC) Mediated Activation and Expansion of Natural Killer T Cells
Published on: December 29, 2012
Artificial antigen-presenting cells plus IL-15 and IL-21 efficiently induce melanoma-specific cytotoxic CD8+ CD28+ T
Xia Yu1, Jian He, Sodaly Mongkhoune
1Biological Targeting Diagonosis and Therapy Research Center, Guangxi Medical University, Nanning, Guangxi 530021, PR China.
Objective:
To develop a novel artificial antigen-presenting system for efficiently inducing melanoma-specific CD8(+) CD28(+) cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses.
Methods:
Cell-sized Dynabeads® M-450 Epoxy beads coated with H-2K(b): Ig-TRP2180-188 and anti-CD28 antibody were used as artificial antigen-presenting cells (aAPCs) to induce melanoma-specific CD8(+)CD28(+) CTL responses with the help of IL-21 and IL-15. Dimer staining, proliferation, ELISPOT, and cytotoxicity experiments were conducted to evaluate the frequency and activity of induced CTLs.
Results:
Dimer staining demonstrated that the new artificial antigen-presenting system efficiently induced melanoma TRP2-specific CD8(+)CD28(+)CTLs. Proliferation and ELISPOT assays indicated that the induced CTLs rapidly proliferate and produce increased IFN- γ under the stimulation of H-2K(b): Ig-TRP2-aAPCs, IL-15, and IL-21. In addition, cytotoxicity experiments showed that induced CTLs have specific killing activity of target cells.
Conclusions:
The new artificial antigen-presenting system including aAPCs plus IL-21 and IL-15 can induce a large number of antigen-specific CD8(+) CD28(+) CTLs against the melanoma. Our study provides evidence for a novel adoptive immunotherapy against tumors.
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