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Functional studies on dendritic cells in the respiratory tract and related mucosal tissues
Author(s) -
Holt P. G.,
Stumbles P. A.,
McWilliam A. S.
Publication year - 1999
Publication title -
journal of leukocyte biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.819
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1938-3673
pISSN - 0741-5400
DOI - 10.1002/jlb.66.2.272
Subject(s) - biology , respiratory tract , respiratory system , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , anatomy
Recent reports indicate that mucosal tissues contain dendritic cell (DC) populations that exhibit phenotypic features distinct from those at more studied sites such as skin. In particular, mucosal DC populations display very rapid baseline turnover rates, which increase in response to local inflammatory stimuli. This property is likely to be central to the role of mucosal DC in surveillance of these front‐line tissues for incoming microbial pathogens. As we discuss, it may also indirectly account for the “Th2 default,” which is the recognized hallmark of mucosal immune system in the steady state. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 272–275; 1999.