Assessing the Ability of Human Dendritic Cells to Stimulate Naive CD4+ and CD8+ T Cells

Abstract

Dendritic cells orient T cell responses via antigen presentation and provision of polarizing signals. The ability of human dendritic cells to polarize effector T cells can be assessed in mixed lymphocyte reactions. Here we describe a protocol that can be used with any human dendritic cell to assess their ability to polarize CD4⁺ T helper cells or CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cells.

Keywords: Cytotoxic T lymphocytes; Dendritic cells; Human; T helper cells.