Immune Netw.  2019 Feb;19(1):e6. 10.4110/in.2019.19.e6.

The Role of Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Gut Health

• Won HY
• Lee JY
• Ryu D
• Kim HT
• Chang SY

• KMID: 2438914
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4110/in.2019.19.e6

Abstract

Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a unique subset of cells with different functional characteristics compared to classical dendritic cells. The pDCs are critical for the production of type I IFN in response to microbial and self-nucleic acids. They have an important role for host defense against viral pathogen infections. In addition, pDCs have been well studied as a critical player for breaking tolerance to self-nucleic acids that induce autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus. However, pDCs have an immunoregulatory role in inducing the immune tolerance by generating Tregs and various regulatory mechanisms in mucosal tissues. Here, we summarize the recent studies of pDCs that focused on the functional characteristics of gut pDCs, including interactions with other immune cells in the gut. Furthermore, the dynamic role of gut pDCs will be investigated with respect to disease status including gut infection, inflammatory bowel disease, and cancers.

Keyword

Plasmacytoid dendritic cell; Gut; Type I interferon; Immune tolerance; Host defense

MeSH Terms

Dendritic Cells*
Immune Tolerance
Inflammatory Bowel Diseases
Interferon Type I
Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic
Mucous Membrane
Interferon Type I