AUTHOR=Yap Xi Zen , Lundie Rachel J. , Beeson James G. , O'Keeffe Meredith 

TITLE=Dendritic Cell Responses and Function in Malaria

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2019.00357

DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2019.00357

ISSN=1664-3224

ABSTRACT=<p>Malaria remains a serious threat to global health. Sustained malaria control and, eventually, eradication will only be achieved with a broadly effective malaria vaccine. Yet a fundamental lack of knowledge about how antimalarial immunity is acquired has hindered vaccine development efforts to date. Understanding how malaria-causing parasites modulate the host immune system, specifically dendritic cells (DCs), key initiators of adaptive and vaccine antigen-based immune responses, is vital for effective vaccine design. This review comprehensively summarizes how exposure to <italic>Plasmodium</italic> spp. impacts human DC function <italic>in vivo</italic> and <italic>in vitro</italic>. We have highlighted the heterogeneity of the data observed in these studies, compared and critiqued the models used to generate our current understanding of DC function in malaria, and examined the mechanisms by which <italic>Plasmodium</italic> spp. mediate these effects. This review highlights potential research directions which could lead to improved efficacy of existing vaccines, and outlines novel targets for next-generation vaccine strategies to target malaria.</p>