title: New insights into the roles of dendritic cells in intestinal immunity and tolerance.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical key role in the initiation of immune responses to pathogens. Paradoxically, they also prevent potentially damaging immune responses being directed against the multitude of harmless antigens, to which the body is exposed daily. These roles are particularly important in the intestine, where only a single layer of epithelial cells provides a barrier against billions of commensal microorganisms, pathogens, and food antigens, over a huge surface area. In the intestine, therefore, DCs are required to perform their dual roles very efficiently to protect the body from the dual threats of invading pathogens and unwanted inflammatory reactions. In this review, we first describe the biology of DCs and their interactions with other cells types, paying particular attention to intestinal DCs. We, then, examine the ways in which this biology may become misdirected, resulting in inflammatory bowel disease. Finally, we discuss how DCs potentiate immune responses against viral, bacterial, parasitic infections, and their importance in the pathogenesis of prion diseases. We, therefore, provide an overview of the complex cellular interactions that affect intestinal DCs and control the balance between immunity and tolerance.
authors.affiliation: Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, Oxford University, Oxford, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Vuk
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cerovic
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: McDonald
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nassar
authors.forename: Susan M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Paulin
authors.forename: G Gordon
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Macpherson
authors.forename: Simon W F
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Milling
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015496:CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D018414:CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000276:immunology*; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D007422:Intestines / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology; D009092:Mucous Membrane / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology; D010272:Parasitic Diseases / Q000276:immunology; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000276:immunology*