Cell Death and Disease· 2025Q1· Review
The emerging role of dendritic cells in the tumor microenvironment: from antigen presentation to targeted immunotherapy
- 45citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2025year
Short summary
Dendritic cells (DCs) are crucial for initiating anti-tumor T cell responses, but their function in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is complex and often impaired.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Dendritic cells (DCs) are central to initiating T cell-mediated anti-tumor immune responses.
- DC heterogeneity and cross-talk with other tumor microenvironment (TME) cells influence immunotherapy outcomes.
- DCs in the TME often exhibit functional and metabolic reprogramming, leading to impaired anti-tumor activity.
- Optimizing DC-based cancer immunotherapies requires a deeper understanding of these complex interactions and dysfunctions.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs), as pivotal antigen-presenting cells (APCs), play crucial roles in initiating T cell-mediated antitumor immune responses, bridging innate and adaptive immunity while maintaining immune tolerance. With an in-depth understanding of DC biology and functions, numerous DC-targeted therapeutic approaches have been developed. An enhanced understanding of DC heterogeneity and DC cross-talk with other cells within the tumor microenvironment (TME), along with functional and metabolic remodeling mechanisms, may optimize DC-based cancer immunotherapies. This review focuses on the heterogeneity of the individual occurrence and function of DCs in tumors, elucidates the cross-talk between DCs and other cells in the TME, provides an in-depth understanding of the dysfunction and metabolic reprogramming of DCs in the TME, and summarizes existing DC-based anticancer therapies and novel therapeutic strategies, with the aim of providing new insight into the emerging role of DCs in future cancer immunotherapy.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Cell Death and Disease, 2025 · DOI ↗
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ImmunologyImmunology and Microbiology