Sensitivity of Dendritic Cells to Microenvironment Signals

Figure 4

Schematic illustration showing the differences between tumor and transplants microenvironments. Immature dendritic cells (iDCs) are present in higher number in tumor microenvironments, while activated dendritic cells (mDCs) can be more easily found in transplanted organs. In both cases, tumor cells or donor cells and dendritic cells are in constant communication through cytokines and other factors secretion (represented by small black circles). In the tumor microenvironment, factors that are generally suppressive to dendritic cells are present in big amounts. On the other hand, in transplants, proinflammatory cytokines which exacerbate dendritic cells function are increased.