Dendritic cells erase bad memory.
DC not only activate CD4 T (Th) cell and cytotoxic CD8 T cell (CTL) responses against pathogens, but they also tolerize autoreactive T cells in order to avoid autoimmunity. Previous studies have demonstrated that steady-state DC can tolerize naïve CTL, naïve Th cells and memory CTL. A study in this issue of the European Journal of Immunology demonstrates that DC also tolerize memory Th cells. This is arguably most critical for developing therapies against autoimmune disease; first, because Th cells are the central regulators of all adaptive immune responses, and second because memory, rather than naïve T cells are the clinically relevant cells in established autoimmune diseases. This study fosters hope that DC-based specific immunotherapies for common autoimmune diseases are possible.
Kurts
Christian
C
Institute of Experimental Immunology, Rheinische Friedrich-Wilhelms University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. ckurts@uni-bonn.de
D056704:Adaptive Immunity; D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000628:therapy; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D007156:Immunologic Memory; D016219:Immunotherapy, Adoptive; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology*