Skin sentry cells promote distinct immune responses
July 21, 2011 in Medical research
A new study reveals that just as different soldiers in the field have different jobs, subsets of a type of immune cell that polices the barriers of the body can promote unique and opposite immune responses against the same type of infection. The research, published online on July 21st by Cell Press in the journal Immunity, enhances our understanding of the early stages of the immune response and may have important implications for vaccinations and treatment of autoimmune diseases.
Dendritic cells serve as sentries of the immune system and are stationed at the body's "outposts," like the skin, where they are likely to encounter invading pathogens. When dendritic cells encounter pathogen-associated antigens (molecules that trigger an immune response), they process the antigen and present it to other responding immune cells in an effort to inititate a cellular cascade resulting in clearance of the pathogen. This is a critical part of the immune response because many responding immune cells cannot "see" antigen and initiate the proper protective response unless the antigen is properly presented by a dendritic cell.
"There are at least three different types of dendritic cells in the skin," explains senior study author, Dr. Daniel Kaplan from the University of Minnesota. "Despite studies examining these cells, the basic question of whether skin resident dendritic cells have unique or redundant functions remains unresolved." Dr. Kaplan and colleagues developed a model of yeast infection that is limited to the superficial layer of the skin and studied antigen-specific immune responses in mice lacking specific subsets of skin dendritic cells.
The researchers discovered that direct presentation of antigen by one type of dendritic cell, Langerhans cells, was necessary and sufficient for the generation of antigen-specific T helper-17 (Th17) cells but not the generation of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTL). T helper cells play a key role in orchestrating the immune response, whereas CTLs can directly destroy infected cells. While Th17 cells play productive roles in indirectly eliminating pathogens when their response is dysregulated, they have been implicated in autoimmune disease, Meanwhile, another subset of dendritic cells was required for the generation of antigen-specific CTLs and inhibited the ability of other dendritic cells to promote Th17 cell responses.
"Our work demonstrates that dendritic cells in the skin promote distinct and opposing antigen-specific responses," concludes Dr. Kaplan. "This has important implications for vaccination strategies that selectively target dendritic cell populations. In addition, the requirement for Langerhans cells in the development of Th17 cells suggests these cells may participate in the early pathogenesis of Th17 cell-mediated skin diseases such as psoriasis."
Provided by
Cell Press
-
New origin found for a critical immune response
Mar 01, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Dendritic cells ensure immune tolerance
Mar 16, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
'Super' enzyme may lead way to better tumor vaccines
Dec 04, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Identified: Switch that turns on allergic disease in people
Jan 20, 2010 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Novel method to create personalized immunotherapy treatments
Aug 05, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Motion perception revisited: High Phi effect challenges established motion perception assumptions
Apr 23, 2013 |
3 / 5 (2) |
2
-
Anything you can do I can do better: Neuromolecular foundations of the superiority illusion (Update)
Apr 02, 2013 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
5
-
The visual system as economist: Neural resource allocation in visual adaptation
Mar 30, 2013 |
5 / 5 (2) |
9
-
Separate lives: Neuronal and organismal lifespans decoupled
Mar 27, 2013 |
4.9 / 5 (8) |
0
-
Sizing things up: The evolutionary neurobiology of scale invariance
Feb 28, 2013 |
4.8 / 5 (10) |
14
-
How can there be a term called "intestinal metaplasia" of stomach
19 hours ago
-
Pressure-volume curve: Elastic Recoil Pressure don't make sense
May 18, 2013
-
If you became brain-dead, would you want them to pull the plug?
May 17, 2013
-
MRI bill question
May 15, 2013
-
Ratio of Hydrogen of Oxygen in Dessicated Animal Protein
May 13, 2013
-
Alcohol and acetaminophen
May 13, 2013
- More from Physics Forums - Medical Sciences
More news stories
H. pylori, smoking trends, and gastric cancer in US men
Trends in Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) and smoking explain a significant proportion of the decline of intestinal-type noncardia gastric adenocarcinoma (NCGA) incidence in US men between 1978 and 2008, and are estimated ...
Medical research
9 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
Common food supplement fights degenerative brain disorders
Widely available in pharmacies and health stores, phosphatidylserine is a natural food supplement produced from beef, oysters, and soy. Proven to improve cognition and slow memory loss, it's a popular treatment for older ...
Medical research
13 hours ago |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
|
Finding a family for a pair of orphan receptors in the brain
Researchers at Emory University have identified a protein that stimulates a pair of "orphan receptors" found in the brain, solving a long-standing biological puzzle and possibly leading to future treatments for neurological ...
Medical research
14 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Insight into the dazzling impact of insulin in cells
Australian scientists have charted the path of insulin action in cells in precise detail like never before. This provides a comprehensive blueprint for understanding what goes wrong in diabetes.
Medical research
14 hours ago |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
0
|
Do men's and women's hearts burn fuel differently?
Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine will study gender differences in how the heart uses and stores fat—its main energy source—and how changes in fat metabolism play ...
Medical research
17 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
If you can remember it, you can remember it wrong
(Medical Xpress)—Native peoples in regions where cameras are uncommon sometimes react with caution when their picture is taken. The fear that something must have been stolen from them to create the photo ...
B vitamins could delay dementia
(Medical Xpress)—Despite spending billions of dollars on research and development, drug companies have been unable to come up with effective treatments for dementia and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Now, A. ...
New sleeping pill poised to hit US markets
An experimental sleeping pill from US drug company Merck is effective at helping people fall and stay asleep, according to reviewers at the US Food and Drug Administration, which could soon approve the new drug.
Reducing caloric intake delays nerve cell loss
Activating an enzyme known to play a role in the anti-aging benefits of calorie restriction delays the loss of brain cells and preserves cognitive function in mice, according to a study published in the May ...
Antidepressant reduces stress-induced heart condition
A drug commonly used to treat depression and anxiety may improve a stress-related heart condition in people with stable coronary heart disease, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
Drugs found to both prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease in mice
Researchers at USC have found that a class of pharmaceuticals can both prevent and treat Alzheimer's Disease in mice.