Plasmacytoid dendritic cells and dermatological disorders: focus on their role in autoimmunity and cancer.
Dendritic cells (DC), considered as immunological sentinels of the organism since they are antigen presenting cells, create the link between innate and adaptive immunity. DC include myeloid dendritic cells (MDC) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (PDC). The presence of PDC, cells capable of producing large quantities of interferon alpha (IFN-alpha) in response to pathogenic agents or danger signals, seems to be closely related to pathological conditions. PDC have been observed in inflammatory immunoallergic dermatological disorders, in malignant cutaneous tumours and in cutaneous lesions of infectious origin. They seem to play a crucial role in the initiation of the pathological processes of autoimmune diseases such as lupus or psoriasis. Their function within a tumour context is not as well known and is controversial. They could have a tolerogenic role towards tumour cells in the absence of an activator but they also have the capacity to become activated in response to Toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands and could therefore be useful for therapeutic purposes.
Dermatologie, Pôle Pluridisciplinaire de Médecine, CHU Grenoble, Hôpital Michallon, F-38043 France. JCharles@chu-grenoble.fr
Julie
J
Charles
Laurence
L
Chaperot
Dimitri
D
Salameire
Jérémy
J
Di Domizio
Caroline
C
Aspord
Rémy
R
Gressin
Marie-Christine
MC
Jacob
Marie-Jeanne
MJ
Richard
Jean-Claude
JC
Beani
Joel
J
Plumas
Marie-Thérèse
MT
Leccia
D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000276:immunology*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology*
D016898:Interferon-alpha