The Open Arthritis Journal
2010, 3 : 1-7Published online 2010 January 12. DOI: 10.2174/1876539401003010001
Publisher ID: TOARTHJ-3-1
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Dendritic Cells in Autoimmune Diseases
1
Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale, Unité 872, 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médicine, Paris, F-75006, France
2 Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe 16- Immunopathology and Therapeutic Immunointervention, Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6, UMR S 872, 15 rue de l’Ecole de médicine, Paris, F-75006, France
3 Université Paris Descartes, UMR S 872, 15 rue de l’Ecole de médicine, Paris, F-75006, France
4 Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
* Address correspondence to this author at the INSERM U 872, Equipe 16, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médicine, Paris, F-75006, France; Tel: 00 33 1 55 42 82 66; Fax: 00 33 1 55 42 82 62; E-mail: jagadeesh.bayry@crc.jussieu.fr
2 Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Equipe 16- Immunopathology and Therapeutic Immunointervention, Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris 6, UMR S 872, 15 rue de l’Ecole de médicine, Paris, F-75006, France
3 Université Paris Descartes, UMR S 872, 15 rue de l’Ecole de médicine, Paris, F-75006, France
4 Department of Microbiology and Cell Biology, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560012, India
* Address correspondence to this author at the INSERM U 872, Equipe 16, Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, 15 rue de l’Ecole de Médicine, Paris, F-75006, France; Tel: 00 33 1 55 42 82 66; Fax: 00 33 1 55 42 82 62; E-mail: jagadeesh.bayry@crc.jussieu.fr
ABSTRACT
Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen presenting cells, which play a crucial role both in maintaining immune tolerance and in inducing adaptive immune responses. Therefore, DCs are the most sought in inciting autoimmunity and its sustenance to autoimmune diseases. The emerging knowledge of the importance of DCs, DC-derived cytokines, and intracellular signal transduction pathways in mediating autoimmune diseases and in creating an inflammatory environment provides a rationale for pursuing strategies to block these inflammatory pathways for therapeutic purposes.