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Comparative genomics as a tool to reveal functional equivalences between human and mouse dendritic cell subsets
Author(s) -
Crozat Karine,
Guiton Rachel,
Guilliams Martin,
Henri Sandrine,
Baranek Thomas,
SchwartzCornil Isabelle,
Malissen Bernard,
Dalod Marc
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
immunological reviews
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.839
H-Index - 223
eISSN - 1600-065X
pISSN - 0105-2896
DOI - 10.1111/j.0105-2896.2009.00868.x
Subject(s) - biology , immune system , dendritic cell , phenotype , antigen , cd8 , acquired immune system , functional genomics , immunology , computational biology , genomics , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , genome , gene
Summary: During evolution, vertebrates have developed an adaptive immune system able to cope with a variety of pathogens. Dendritic cells (DCs) are central to this process. DCs integrate information derived from pathogens or endogenous danger signals and convey them to T lymphocytes. Most of the present knowledge on DCs was generated in mice or by using human DCs differentiated in vitro from monocytes. In both species, several DC subsets have been identified in vivo based on differences in their phenotypes, anatomical locations or functions. In mice, protective immunity against intracellular pathogens or tumors can be induced most efficiently by targeting antigens to the CD8α + DCs, a subset of DCs which resides in lymphoid tissues and is especially efficient at cross‐presenting exogenous antigens to CD8 + T lymphocytes. In contrary, harnessing human DC subsets for medical purposes is currently hampered by insufficient knowledge about these cells. To overcome this cognitive gap, we are using comparative genomics as a tool for designing hypotheses and experiments to further characterize DC subset functions and their molecular control, including the investigation of the functional equivalences that might exist between human and mouse DC subsets.