The role of dendritic cells in tertiary lymphoid structures: implications in cancer and autoimmune diseases

Front Immunol. 2024 Oct 11:15:1439413. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1439413. eCollection 2024.

Abstract

Tertiary Lymphoid Structures (TLS) are organized aggregates of immune cells such as T cells, B cells, and Dendritic Cells (DCs), as well as fibroblasts, formed postnatally in response to signals from cytokines and chemokines. Central to the function of TLS are DCs, professional antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that coordinate the adaptive immune response, and which can be classified into different subsets, with specific functions, and markers. In this article, we review current data on the contribution of different DC subsets to TLS function in cancer and autoimmunity, two opposite sides of the immune response. Different DC subsets can be found in different tumor types, correlating with cancer prognosis. Moreover, DCs are also present in TLS found in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, contributing to disease development. Broadly, the presence of DCs in TLS appears to be associated with favorable clinical outcomes in cancer while in autoimmune pathologies these cells are associated with unfavorable prognosis. Therefore, it is important to analyze the complex functions of DCs within TLS in order to enhance our fundamental understanding of immune regulation but also as a possible route to create innovative clinical interventions designed for the specific needs of patients with diverse pathological diseases.

Keywords: anti-tumor immunity; autoimmunity; dendritic cells (DC); tertiary lymphoid organs (TLO); tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS).

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Autoimmune Diseases* / immunology
  • Autoimmunity
  • Dendritic Cells* / immunology
  • Humans
  • Neoplasms* / immunology
  • Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Tertiary Lymphoid Structures* / immunology
  • Tertiary Lymphoid Structures* / pathology

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was developed within the scope of projects with references UIDB/04501/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDB/04501/2020, UIDP/04501/2020 and https://doi.org/10.54499/UIDP/04501/2020, 2022.03217.PTDC and DOI 10.54499/2022.03217.PTDC, financially supported by national funds (OE), through FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, I.P. /MCTES. This work was also supported by the World Scleroderma Foundation and Edit Busch Stiftung (MAPFib). This work has been supported by Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Republic of Serbia through Grant Agreement with University of Belgrade, Faculty of Medicine No: 451-03-66/2024-03/200110. This work was funded by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation, Republic of Serbia through Grant Agreement with University of Belgrade-Faculty of Pharmacy No: 451-03-47/2023-01/200161. This work was supported by the Wellcome Trust (225021/Z/22/Z). This work was supported by the Swedish Cancer Society (22 2221.Pj.01.H) and Mrs. Berta Kamprad’s Cancer Foundation (FBKS-2022-8-368). This work was supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey- TUBITAK (119S447 and 22AG077). This work was also supported by European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action CA20117 Mye-InfoBank (www.mye-infobank.eu); COST is supported by the EU Framework Program Horizon 2020.