Regeneration of stalled immune responses to transformed and infected cells using γδ T cells

•γδT-cells are able to kill a transformed or infected cell.•γδT-cells can then in the presence of antibody take up killed cell fragments.•The γδT-cells then operate as a professional antigen-presenting cell.•They are therefore potentially a highly suitable tool in immunotherapies.

Manipulation of the human immune system is becoming more of a therapeutic focus as a treatment option or complement. Prominent examples are the increasing use of monoclonal antibodies in combating malignant tumours, and the numerous adoptive immunotherapy trials underway. One important aspect of any use of the human immune system in this regard is to harness the power of professional antigen-presenting cells (pAPC), that is, dendritic cells (DC), to direct immune responses. Here, we review how recent findings regarding the biology of γδT cells have revealed that they, surprisingly, could serve as convenient tools for this purpose, in that they combine innate cytotoxic cell and pAPC functions in one cell type, with potential benefits in cancer immunotherapy and infectious disease.