title: Dendritic cells and damage-associated molecular patterns: endogenous danger signals linking innate and adaptive immunity.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) are potent antigen-presenting cells critical in regulating the adaptive immune response. The role of DCs is dichotomous; they may both present antigens and the appropriate stimulatory molecules to initiate an adaptive immune response, or they may induce tolerance and release anti-inflammatory signals. The activation of immature DCs, required for the expression of the necessary costimulatory T cell molecules, is dependent on pattern recognition receptors. In addition to the pathogen-derived ligands of pattern recognition receptors, several damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) have recently been shown to interact with DCs and dramatically affect their ultimate function. The complex interplay of DAMPs on DCs is clinically important, with implications for transplantation, tumor immunity, autoimmunity, chronic inflammation and other conditions of sterile inflammation such as ischemia reperfusion injury. In this review, we will focus on the role of DAMPs in DC function.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nace
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Evankovich
authors.forename: Raymond
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Eid
authors.forename: Allan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tsung
mesh_terms: D056704:Adaptive Immunity / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D017951:Antigen Presentation / Q000502:physiology*; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance / Q000502:physiology; D007113:Immunity, Innate / Q000502:physiology*; D007249:Inflammation / Q000276:immunology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology; D016377:Organ Transplantation; D015427:Reperfusion Injury / Q000276:immunology; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000276:immunology*