Taking dendritic cells into medicine

Abstract

Dendritic cells are found in the blood and in tissues exposed to the environment, such as the skin and the lining of the nose, lungs and stomach. Their job is to adjust innate and adaptive immune responses to the environmental stimulus at hand. In a review, Ralph Steinman (awarded the Laskar prize last week in recognition of his discovery of dendritic cells) and Jacques Banchereau discuss the medically relevant properties of dendritic cells. Pathogens and tumours can exploit dendritic cells to evade immunity, making them logical drug targets. They can also generate resistance: during allergy, autoimmunity and transplant rejection, dendritic cells may instigate unwanted responses, but they can also silence these conditions. Dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate a repertoire of immune responses that bring about resistance to infection and silencing or tolerance to self. In the settings of infection and cancer, microbes and tumours can exploit DCs to evade immunity, but DCs also can generate resistance, a capacity that is readily enhanced with DC-targeted vaccines. During allergy, autoimmunity and transplant rejection, DCs instigate unwanted responses that cause disease, but, again, DCs can be harnessed to silence these conditions with novel therapies. Here we present some medical implications of DC biology that account for illness and provide opportunities for prevention and therapy.