title: Mucosal dendritic cells shape mucosal immunity.
abstract: Dendritic cells (DCs) are key modulators that shape the immune system. In mucosal tissues, DCs act as surveillance systems to sense infection and also function as professional antigen-presenting cells that stimulate the differentiation of naive T and B cells. On the basis of their molecular expression, DCs can be divided into several subsets with unique functions. In this review, we focus on intestinal DC subsets and their function in bridging the innate signaling and adaptive immune systems to maintain the homeostasis of the intestinal immune environment. We also review the current strategies for manipulating mucosal DCs for the development of efficient mucosal vaccines to protect against infectious diseases.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology, College of Pharmacy, Ajou University, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Sun-Young
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Microbiology and Immunology, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Jeong
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: Mucosal Immunology Section, International Vaccine Institute, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi-Na
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kweon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D018928:Immunity, Mucosal; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology*; D006377:T-Lymphocytes, Helper-Inducer / Q000276:immunology