Tumor cell antigen presentation by dendritic cells

Tumor cell antigen presentation by dendritic cells is the process by which dendritic cells (DCs), the primary professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) of the immune system, capture antigens released from tumor cells, process them, and present antigenic peptides via major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I and class II molecules to T lymphocytes. This is crucial for initiating cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against tumor cells through two major mechanisms: *direct presentation* (for MHC class II/CD4+ T cells) and *cross-presentation* (for MHC class I/CD8+ T cells), as well as a specialized mechanism called *cross-dressing*, whereby DCs acquire intact peptide-MHC complexes from tumor cells. Effective antigen presentation by DCs is essential for antitumor immunity and is a focus of many cancer immunotherapeutic strategies

Other names

Antigen cross-presentation by dendritic cellsDendritic cell cross-dressingDC-mediated tumor antigen presentation

Enhancement of dendritic cell maturation or function (e.g., cancer vaccines) Use of adjuvants or engineered dendritic cells to improve tumor antigen presentation