Research paperRole of Wnt3a expressed by dendritic cells in the activation of canonical Wnt signaling and generation of memory T cells during primary immune responses

•mDCs had a higher expression level of Wnt3a compared to imDCs.•Wnt3a expressed in DCs influenced Wnt canonical pathway activation in TNs.•Wnt3a expressed in DCs influenced the TNs differentiate towards the TMs subtype.•Wnt3a expressed in DCs influenced its cytokines production.

The presence of memory T cells (TMs) hinders transplant survival. Dendritic cells (DCs) induce the generation of TMs during primary immune responses. However, the specific mechanisms are unclear. In this study, we constructed a Wnt3a-expressing adenovirus and used small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting Wnt3a to investigate the influence of Wnt3a expression in DCs on the generation of TMs during primary immune responses. Our results demonstrated that the Wnt3a expression levels in DCs influenced the generation of TMs after 5 days in co-culture with naïve T cells through activation of the Wnt canonical pathway. Interleukin-7 secretion levels in supernatants of DC/TNs co-cultures showed a similar pattern of Wnt3a expression levels in DCs. These findings provide a better understanding of TMs generation mechanisms that might be useful to improve transplant outcomes.