Authors
Ryunosuke Muro, Suqi Wang, Taku Ito-Kureha, Hung Hiep Huynh, Kouji Kobiyama, Takuya Sugita, Kazuo Okamoto, Kenta Nakano, Tadashi Okamura, Masato Kubo, Ken J Ishii, Takeshi Nitta, Hiroshi Takayanagi
Published in
Science advances. Volume 12. Issue 29. Pages eaec7827. Jul 17, 2026. Epub Jul 17, 2026.
Abstract
Lipid nanoparticle-encapsulated mRNA (mRNA-LNP) vaccines trigger the potent differentiation of antigen-specific cytotoxic CD8 T cells in addition to antibody production. Despite its high immunogenicity, the cellular mechanisms by which mRNA-LNP induces such unusual immune responses remain largely unclear. Here, we show that mRNA-LNP induces potent and long-lasting CD8 T cell expansion through an antigen presentation mechanism that differs from that of conventional adjuvants. In mice immunized with mRNA-LNP, the number of antigen-specific CD8 T cells was one order of magnitude higher than that induced by combining antigen proteins with immunostimulants such as lipopolysaccharide or polyinosinic:polycytidinic acid. Intramuscularly administered mRNA-LNPs were mainly taken up by migratory type 2 conventional dendritic cells in draining lymph nodes, resulting in notably strong and persistent antigen presentation through major histocompatibility complex class I. Furthermore, CD8 T cell induction by mRNA-LNP required migratory dendritic cells but not the traditional cross-presentation pathway that is otherwise essential for antiviral and antitumor immunity. Thus, the mRNA-LNP formulation exerts unconventional immune responses through a different antigen-presentation pathway from conventional component vaccines.
PMID:
42467780
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 18 Jul 2026.
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