Introduction and History of Dendritic Cells
- Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells that act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immune systems.
- They were first described by Paul Langerhans in the late nineteenth century and the term 'dendritic cells' was coined in 1973 by Ralph M. Steinman and Zanvil A. Cohn.
- Ralph M. Steinman received awards for his discovery of the central role of dendritic cells in the adaptive immune response.
Types and Development of Dendritic Cells
- Dendritic cells have a large surface-to-volume ratio and can be differentiated based on markers such as BDCA-2, BDCA-3, and BDCA-4.
- They can be lymphoid or myeloid dendritic cells and follicular dendritic cells of mesenchymal origin.
- Dendritic cells are derived from hematopoietic bone marrow progenitor cells and undergo maturation and activation processes.
Functions and Interactions of Dendritic Cells
- Dendritic cells play a role in antigen presentation to T cells, activation of immune responses, induction of tolerance, and regulation of immune homeostasis.
- They interact with T cells, B cells, natural killer cells, macrophages, and neutrophils.
Role of Dendritic Cells in Disease and Immunity
- Dendritic cells are involved in cancer immunotherapy, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, allergic diseases, and transplantation.
- They have been found to have different subsets in lung cancers and can be targeted for immunotherapy.
Research and Therapeutic Applications of Dendritic Cells
- Research challenges include understanding the genesis and development of different types and subsets of dendritic cells and isolating them for focused research.
- Dendritic cell-based vaccines, targeting dendritic cells for immunotherapy, manipulation of dendritic cell function in disease, identification of dendritic cell subsets using biomarkers, and advances in single-cell transcriptomics are areas of research and therapeutic applications.
A dendritic cell (DC) is an antigen-presenting cell (also known as an accessory cell) of the mammalian immune system. A DC's main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system. They act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immune systems.
| Dendritic cell | |
|---|---|
 Dendritic cells in skin | |
 Artistic rendering of the surface of a human dendritic cell illustrating sheet-like processes that fold back onto the membrane surface. Some researchers believe that these sheets, when exposed to HIV, entrap viruses in the vicinity and focus them to contact zones with T cells targeted for infection. These studies were carried out using ion abrasion scanning electron microscopy, a new[when?] technology the NIH has been developing and applying for 3D cellular imaging. | |
| Details | |
| System | Immune system |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | cellula dendritiformis |
| MeSH | D003713 |
| TH | H1.00.01.0.00038 |
| FMA | 83036 |
| Anatomical terminology | |
Dendritic cells are present in tissues that are in contact with the body's external environment, such as the skin (where there is a specialized dendritic cell type called the Langerhans cell), and the inner lining of the nose, lungs, stomach and intestines. They can also be found in an immature and mature state in the blood. Once activated, they migrate to the lymph nodes, where they interact with T cells and B cells to initiate and shape the adaptive immune response. At certain development stages they grow branched projections, the dendrites, that give the cell its name (δένδρον or déndron being Greek for 'tree'). While similar in appearance to the dendrites of neurons, these are structures distinct from them. Immature dendritic cells are also called veiled cells, as they possess large cytoplasmic 'veils' rather than dendrites.[citation needed]
dendritic cell (plural dendritic cells)
