Differentiation and expansion of lentivirus vector-marked dendritic cells derived from human CD34⁺ cells

The in vitro genetic manipulation of dendritic cells (DCs) for the expression of foreign proteins or peptides will assist in the development of immunotherapeutic approaches to treat cancer, immunological disorders, and/or infectious diseases. Reports have shown the expansion and differentiation of CD34⁺ progenitor cells into mature DCs. In this article we describe the differentiation and expansion of lentivirus vector-marked DCs from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and cytokine-mobilized peripheral blood CD34⁺ cells in the presence of GM-CSF, TNF-α, SCF, Flt-3, and IL-4. Lentivirus-marked DCs expressed high levels of enhanced green fluorescent protein and the characteristic DC surface markers CD1a, CD83, HLA-DR, and CD80. Transduced DCs activated allogeneic CD3⁺ T cells as efficiently as control (nontransduced) DCs in mixed lymphocyte reactions. These results demonstrate the potential utility of lentivirus-transduced DCs in future immunotherapy protocols.