ISSN:
1365-2133
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Medicine
Notes:
Background Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCLs) are a heterogeneous group of skin neoplasms that originate from T lymphocytes. An anti-CTCL T-cell immunity has been described but seems to be inefficient to clear CTCL cells. It is not known whether cutaneous dendritic cells (DCs) perpetuate the proliferation of the malignant CTCL cell clone or play a role in the control of this usually slowly progressing disease.Objectives To characterize CTCL cell properties in the control of anti-CTCL T cells and to pave the way for a DC-based immunotherapy for CTCL.Methods We studied the interaction of a CTCL cell line with DCs and with allogeneic T cells.Results We found an antigen non-specific capacity of viable but not apoptotic CTCL cells to hamper CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell proliferation in a dose-dependent manner, indicating a suppressive potential of CTCL cells. Both viable and apoptotic CTCL cells were phagocytosed by immature DCs but only apoptotic CTCL cells induced an upregulation of DC maturation markers to a degree which enabled classification of these DCs as semimature. CTCL cells did not respond with proliferation when encountering allogeneic, mature DCs either loaded with CTCL cell material or unloaded, indicating a role for DCs in the induction of anti-CTCL T-cell immunity rather than in perturbation of clonal proliferation. For the loading of DCs with CTCL material lysate seems to be optimal as apoptotic cells were not phagocytosed extensively and necrotic CTCL material induced a partial cellular toxicity in DCs. DCs loaded with CTCL material were cryopreservable without significant loss of DC viability, surface marker expression or allostimulatory activity.Conclusions Together, these data argue in favour for a DC-based immunotherapy for CTCL patients and provide an experimental protocol for preparing CTCL cell-loaded DCs.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2133.2003.05674.x
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