Lysosome-dependent activation of human dendritic cells by the vaccine adjuvant QS-21

Abstract: The adjuvant properties of the saponin QS-21 have been known for decades. It is a component of the Adjuvant System AS01 that is used in several vaccine candidates. QS-21 strongly potentiates both cellular and humoral immune responses to purified antigens, yet how it activates immune cells is largely unknown. Here, we report that QS-21 directly activated human monocyte-derived dendritic cells (moDCs) and promoted a pro-inflammatory transcriptional program. Cholesterol-dependent QS-21 endocytosis followed by lysosomal destabilization and Syk kinase activation were prerequisites for this response. Cathepsin B, a lysosomal cysteine protease, was essential for moDC activation in vitro and contributed to the adjuvant effects of QS-21 in vivo. Collectively, these findings provide new insights into the pathways involved in the direct activation of antigen-presenting cells by a clinically relevant QS-21 formulation

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Frontiers in immunology. - 7 (2017) , 663, ISSN: 1664-3224

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Medizin, Gesundheit

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Freiburg
• (who): Universität
• (when): 2019
• Creator: Welsby, Iain ; Detienne, Sophie ; N’Kuli, Francisca ; Thomas, Séverine ; Wouters, Sandrine ; Bechtold, Viviane ; De Wit, Dominique ; Gineste, Romain ; Reinheckel, Thomas ; Elouahabi, Abdelatif ; Courtoy, Pierre J. ; Didierlaurent, Arnaud M. ; Goriely, Stanislas
• Contributor: Zentrum für Biochemie und Molekulare Zellforschung

Further information

• DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2016.00663
• URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:25-freidok-1366711
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 11:01 AM CEST