Dendritic cells in the respiratory tract - PubMed (original) (raw)

Review

Dendritic cells in the respiratory tract

P G Holt et al. Int Rev Immunol. 1990.

Abstract

Studies from several laboratories on lung tissue samples from human and experimental animals have identified Ia+ cells with characteristic pleiomorphic (dendritic) morphology in the epithelium and underlying connective tissue, in both the conducting airways and in the distal lung. These dendritic cells (DC) are particularly prominent within the airway epithelium, forming a contiguous network equivalent to the Langerhans cells network of the epidermis. They may be readily concentrated from enzymatically disrupted respiratory tract tissue samples on the basis of their physical properties (notably non-adherence, lack of Fc-receptors and ultra-low density on percoll), and function as highly effective antigen presenting cells in vitro. Evidence is also accumulating that respiratory tract DC populations respond dynamically to local tissue inflammation, and as such may play a prominent role in immunoinflammatory disease processes in the airways and the distal lung.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

Cited by

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources