Dendritic cells can be successfully generated from CD34+ cord blood cells in the presence of autologous cord blood plasma

Abstract

Dendritic cells (DCs) are currently being considered as adjuvants in immunotherapy. Depending on their source and culture conditions, they show different features and maturation states. Dendritic cells can be generated from monocytes and CD34+ haematopoietic stem cells, from both adult and cord blood. Here, we report the generation of mature DCs from enriched CD34+ cord blood (CB) cells using autologous cord blood plasma (ACBP) as a source of serum proteins and factors. In the presence of ACBP, CD34+ cells proliferated and differentiated resulting in a population of cells with a dendritic phenotype as assessed by morphology and flow cytometry analyses. The DC population obtained using ACBP showed higher levels of HLA class II molecules, co-stimulatory molecules including CD40, CD80 or CD86, and the dendritic cell marker CD83, compared with those generated in adult blood serum (ABS). Furthermore, the DCs generated in the presence of ACBP were more potent stimulatory cells in the mixed lymphocyte:dendritic cell reactions (MLDCR), compared to cells generated in ABS. Similar results were obtained using homologous cord blood plasma (HCBP). These results show that ACBP can support the generation of DCs from CD34+ progenitor cells when only GM-CSF and TNFalpha are used as differentiating cytokines.