Strategy and clinical application of up-regulating cross presentation by DCs in anti-tumor therapy.

The cross presentation of exogenous antigen (Ag) by dendritic cells (DCs) facilitates a diversified mode of T-cell activation, orchestrates specific humoral and cellular immunity, and contributes to an efficient anti-tumor immune response. DCs-mediated cross presentation is subject to both intrinsic and extrinsic factors, including the homing and phenotype of DCs, the spatiotemporal trafficking and degradation kinetics of Ag, and multiple microenvironmental clues, with many details largely unexplored. Here, we systemically review the current mechanistic understanding and regulation strategies of cross presentation by heterogeneous DC populations. We also provide insights into the future exploitation of DCs cross presentation for a better clinical efficacy in anti-tumor therapy. Up-regulating the cross presentation of DCs might be promising in boosting the anti-tumor immunity. The commonly used regulation strategies of DCs-based cross presentation include extending the Ag stability, optimizing the overall immune environment or DCs-stimulating factors, targeting LNs or DCs for Ag delivery, and regulating the timing and phase of immune response. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]