Exploring the Roles of Programmed Death-1 and its Ligands in Regulating Dendritic Cell Function

Dendritic cells (DC) are the sentinels of the immune system, and control immune responses using special “green light” and “red light” molecules called immune checkpoints to switch other immune cells on or off. In our work, we investigate different types of DC and show that they can use a “red light” immune checkpoint called PD-1. We also show that DC may secrete some immune checkpoints to regulate other cells around them. These findings help build a better picture of how immune checkpoints can be targeted by a new cancer therapy called checkpoint blockade immunotherapy.