Dendritic cells and natural killer cells - The road to a successful oncolytic virotherapy

Sep 24, 2026

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Dendritic cells and natural killer cells play central roles in shaping the therapeutic outcome of oncolytic virotherapy. The review explains how oncolytic viruses can selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while engaging host immunity, with particular emphasis on how viral products promote MHC-related antigen presentation, cytokine signaling, and chemokine-driven immune cell recruitment. It further summarizes mechanisms by which modified viruses enhance dendritic cell targeting and how both DCs and NK cells in the tumor microenvironment regulate anti-tumor efficacy, supporting improved next-generation OV strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Oncolytic viruses and host immune interaction

Dendritic cells: targets and activators in OV therapy

Natural killer cells: activation and regulation by OVs

DC–NK cooperation in the tumor microenvironment

Therapeutic implications for improved oncolytic virotherapy

TYPE Review PUBLISHED 10 January 2023 DOI 10.3389/fimmu.2022.950079 OPEN ACCESS EDITED BY Konstantin G. Kousoulas, Louisiana State University, United States REVIEWED BY Prathyusha Konda, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, United States Mohsen Keshavarz, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Iran Wesam Kooti, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran Maedeh Sharghi, Kurdistan University of Medical Sciences, Iran *CORRESPONDENCE Nozar Givtaj [givtajnozar@gmail.com](givtajnozar@gmail.com) SPECIALTY SECTION This article was submitted to Viral Immunology, a section of the journal Frontiers in Immunology RECEIVED 22 May 2022 ACCEPTED 02 September 2022 PUBLISHED 10 January 2023 CITATION Ghasemi M, Abbasi L, Ghanbari Naeini L, Kokabian P, Nameh Goshay Fard N and Givtaj N (2023) Dendritic cells and natural killer cells: The road to a successful oncolytic virotherapy. Front. Immunol. 13:950079 . doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.950079 COPYRIGHT © 2023 Ghasemi, Abbasi, Ghanbari Naeini, Kokabian, Nameh Goshay Fard and Givtaj. This isan open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. Dendritic cells and natural killer cells: The road to a successful oncolytic virotherapy Matin Ghasemi 1, Laleh Abbasi 2, Leila Ghanbari Naeini 3, Pajman Kokabian 4, Najmeh Nameh Goshay Fard 5 and Nozar Givtaj 6* 1 Faculty of Medicine, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran, 2Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran, 3Gulf Medical University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates, 4School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, 5Thalassemia & Hemoglobinopathy Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran, 6 Rajaei Cardiovascular, Medical and Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran Every type of cancer tissue is theoretically more vulnerable to viral infection. This natural proclivity has been harnessed as a new anti-cancer therapy by employing oncolytic viruses (OVs) to selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while providing little or no harm with no toxicity to the host. Whereas the primary oncolytic capabilities of OVs initially sparked the greatest concern, the predominant focus of research is on the association between OVs and the host immune system. Numerous OVs are potent causal agents of class I MHC pathway-related chemicals, enabling early tumor/viral immune recognition and cytokine-mediated response. The modiﬁed OVs have been studied for their ability to bind to dendritic cells (DCs) by expressing growth factors, chemokines, cytokines, and defensins inside the viral genome. OVs, like reovirus, can directly infect DCs, causing them to release chemokines and cytokines that attract and excite natural killer (NK) cells. In addition, OVs can directly alter cancer cells’ sensitivity to NK by altering the expression levels of NK cell activators and inhibitors on cancerous cells. Therefore, NK cells and DCs in modulating the therapeutic response should be considered when developing and improving future OV-based therapeutics, whether modiﬁed to express transgenes or used in combination with other drugs/ immunotherapies. Concerning the close relationship between NK cells and DCs in the potential of OVs to kill tumor cells, we explore how DCs and NK cells in tumor microenvironment affect oncolytic virotherapy and summarize additional information about the interaction mentioned above in detail in this work. KEYWORDS dendritic cells, natural killer cells, cancer, virus, vir

FAQs

How do oncolytic viruses target cancer cells while minimizing harm to the host?

Oncolytic viruses selectively infect and destroy cancer cells while producing little or no toxicity to the host, enabling a new anti-cancer approach.

What immune mechanisms make oncolytic virotherapy more than direct tumor killing?

Beyond direct oncolysis, the review emphasizes immune-mediated effects such as activation and recruitment of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, including cytokine-driven responses.

How do dendritic cells contribute to NK cell activation in oncolytic virotherapy?

Oncolytic viruses can bind to dendritic cells and induce them to release chemokines and cytokines that attract and excite natural killer cells.

Sep 24, 2026

Uploaded by OmBimo