Animal-models are the basis of DC-based human immunotherapies. We describe the standardization of a canine-DC-generation protocol using different cytokines and characterize the quality and functional repertoire of the obtained canine-DCs. DCs were generated from healthy dog-PBMCs under serum-free and serum-containing conditions. DC-quality and -quantity was determined by FACS studying the expression-profiles of DC-/costimulatory- and maturation-antigens before/after culture with canine and human monoclonal-antibodies (cmabs/hmabs). Individual DCAgs-(DC-antigens)-expression-profiles were found before and after culture depending on the agents' mode-of-action. With at least one of three serum-free methods (Ca-Ionophore, Picibanil, Cytokines) sufficient DC-amounts were generated. So, canine-DCs can be regularly generated under serum-free conditions and hmabs additionally to cmabs qualify for staining/quantification of canine-cells/DCs. The canine-DCs were functional, shown by T-cell-activation, -proliferation and antigen-specific CTL-responses. In summary, successful, quantitative DC-generation is possible with serum-free methods. DC-based T-cell-vaccination-strategies evaluated for e.g. AML-patients can be tested in the dog and estimated in clinical studies for DC-vaccination-strategies.
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