Crucial role of dendritic cells in the generation of anti-tumor T-cell responses and immunogenic tumor microenvironment to suppress tumor development

Dendritic cells (DCs) are known as unique professional antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) to prime naïve T cells for the initiation of adaptive immunity. While DCs are believed to play a pivotal role in generating anti-tumor T-cell responses, the importance of DCs in the protection from the progression of tumors remains elusive. Here, we show how the constitutive deficiency of CD11c hi DCs influences the progression of tumors with the use of binary transgenic mice with constitutive loss of CD11c hi DCs. Constitutive loss of CD11c hi DCs not only enhances the progression of tumors but also reduces the responses of Ag-specific T cells. Furthermore, the congenital deficiency of CD11c hi DCs generates the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) that correlates with the marked accumulation of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) and the prominent productions of immunosuppressive mediators. Thus, our findings suggest that CD11c hi DCs are crucial for generating anti-tumor T-cell responses and immunogenic TME to suppress the development of tumors.