Fig. 3.

Evaluation of shorter durations of BDC activation for differences in cytokine secretion and induction of T-cell responses. Cumulative secretion of IL-12p70 (a) and IFN-α (b) by BDCs after 1, 3, 6, and 20 h of activation with R848 and poly(I:C). BDCs were "rested" for 16 h before the TLR ligand was added. In addition, BDCs were activated directly after isolation for 20 h (n = 3–6). c Induction of T-cell proliferation by BDCs activated for various time periods (n = 9). d Secretion of IFN-γ in co-cultures of T cells and BDCs that were activated for various periods of time (n = 6). Bars represent mean ± SEM. Statistical differences compared to 20-h activation with TLR ligands after resting for 16 h were analyzed by paired one-way ANOVA with Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. Only significant differences are shown: **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001