[SCAN] Dendritic cells: sugars in the spotlight

ITQB Scan Seminar

Title: Dendritic cells: sugars in the spotlight

Speaker: Paula Videira

Affiliation: Head of Glycoimmunology/CEDOC

Abstract:

Dendritic cells (DC) are endowed with a unique capacity of mobilizing multiple arms of immune responses. Their distinctive features include the ability to prime and activate naïve and memory T lymphocytes when mature and loaded with appropriate antigens. This has prompted the use of DC-based vaccines to induce protective and therapeutic anti-tumour immunity in cancer patients, with promising results. Yet the applicability of DC therapy is hindered by the defective immune potency and migration of ex vivo generated DCs. These are essential issues to allow DC to encounter T cell niches and boost anti-tumour immunity.
These complex functions involve cell surface glycoproteins, whose attached glycans play more than simple decoration. In my talk, I will present our data showing how glycans have a functional role in DC immunity. As an example, the binding of DCs, under the shear forces of blood flow, to endothelium is initiated by adhesive interactions between endothelial selectins and sialofucosylated glycans, as the sialyl Lewisx (sLex; NeuAcα2,3 Galβ1,4 [Fucα1,3] GlcNAc-R) expressed on DC specific proteins. These glycans are essential for DC exit from bloodstream and a better understanding of this step is requisite for future improvements of DC-based vaccines. We are currently developing technologies to improve E-selectin ligand expression and ability to prime T lymphocytes.

Our publications related with dendritic cells
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=videira+p+dendritic


Videira PA1
Principal investigator at Chronic Diseases Research Center (CEDOC),
Assistant Professor at Departamento de Imunologia, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa,
Visiting Scientist at Department of Dermatology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA