Domiciliation des cellules dendritiques

Dendritic cells (DC) are major actors of the immune system at the interface between innate and adaptive immunity. They are professional antigen presenting cells, capable of initiating an immune response by stimulating naive T cells. There are different subsets of DC, present in small number in every tissues or organs and characterized by distinct functions and migration patterns. Migration of DC from the blood to non-lymphoid tissues and from the tissues to secondary lymphoid organs are regulated by the expression of various combinations of adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors on the DC surface and of the corresponding ligands on the venular or lymphatic endothelium as well as in the target tissues. Inflammation strongly influences DC migration as well as the final issue of the immune response: tolerance or T cell stimulation. Finally, since DC are used for antitumoral vaccination, it might be possible to modify DC migration in order to obtain a more efficient immune response.