Murine and Human Model Systems for the Study of Dendritic Cell Immunobiology

Dendritic cells are a population of innate immune cells that possess their own effector functions as well as numerous regulatory properties that shape the activity of other innate and adaptive cells of the immune system. Following their development from either lymphoid or myeloid progenitors, the function of dendritic cells is tightly linked to their maturation and activation status. Differentiation into specialized subsets of dendritic cells also contributes to the diverse immunologic functions of these cells. Because of the key role played by dendritic cells in the regulation of both immune tolerance and activation, significant efforts have been focused on understanding dendritic cell biology. This review highlights the model systems currently available to study dendritic cell immunobiology and emphasizes the advantages and disadvantages to each system in both murine and human settings. In particular, in vitro cell culture systems involving immortalized dendritic cell lines, ex vivo systems for differentiating and expanding dendritic cells from their precursor populations, and systems for expanding, ablating, and manipulating dendritic cells in vivo are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the contribution of these systems to our current understanding of the development, function, and immunotherapeutic applications of dendritic cells, and insights into how these models might be extended in the future to answer remaining questions in the field are discussed.