IL-15 DCs were prepared as per our previously reported rapid DC culture protocol [11 (
link), 12 , 14 (
link)]. Briefly, monocytes were seeded in Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium (
RPMI; Life Technologies) supplemented with 2.5% heat-inactivated human AB serum (hAB; Invitrogen, Merelbeke, Belgium) at a final concentration of 1.0–1.2 × 10
6 cells/mL. Differentiation was induced with 800 IU/mL
granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor and 200 ng/mL
IL-15 (Immunotools, Friesoythe, Germany). A TLR-activating maturation cocktail, comprising R848 (3 μg/mL; Alexis Biochemicals, San Diego, USA), tumor necrosis factor-α (2.5 ng/mL),
interferon-γ (250 ng/mL; Immunotools) and
prostaglandin E2 (1 μg/mL; Pfizer, Puurs, Belgium), was added after 24–48 hours of differentiation for 18–20 hours. All components were bought from Invitrogen, unless stated otherwise. Control 7-day IL-4 DCs from the same blood donors were prepared as previously described in detail [11 (
link)]. All subsequent experiments were performed using the obtained activated
IL-15 DCs and IL-4 DCs. For the collection of x-hour wash-out supernatant, mature DCs were harvested, washed thoroughly and resuspended in fresh medium,
RPMI + 2.5% hAB, at a concentration of 1 × 10
6 cells/mL. After x hours of culturing in low absorbing polypropylene tubes, cell-free supernatant was collected and frozen at −20°C until further use.
Van Acker H.H., Beretta O., Anguille S., Caluwé L.D., Papagna A., Van den Bergh J.M., Willemen Y., Goossens H., Berneman Z.N., Van Tendeloo V.F., Smits E.L., Foti M, & Lion E. (2017). Desirable cytolytic immune effector cell recruitment by interleukin-15 dendritic cells. Oncotarget, 8(8), 13652-13665.