Understanding maturation mechanisms of tumor-associated dendritic cells for enhanced cancer immunotherapy

Dendritic cell (DC) maturation is key to immune responses in cancer and autoimmunity. DCs utilize cholesterol from cell debris and internal synthesis to form lipid nanodomains, to enhance their maturation and immune signaling. This process depends on cholesterol transport via NPC1 and is controlled by the receptor tyrosine kinase AXL. Deleting AXL from DCs enhances their maturation, improving anti-tumor immunity. These findings highlight AXL as a potential therapeutic target for modulating DCs in cancer treatment