PeproTech Inc.
Originally published online as doi:10.1189/jlb.0706438 on September 13, 2006

Published online before print September 13, 2006
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
jlb.0706438v1
81/1/154    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Thurnher, M.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Thurnher, M.
(Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2007;81:154-160.)
© 2007 by Society for Leukocyte Biology

Lipids in dendritic cell biology: messengers, effectors, and antigens

Martin Thurnher1

Department of Urology, Innsbruck Medical University, and Kompetenzzentrum Medizin Tirol (KMT), Innsbruck, Austria

1Correspondence: Department of Urology and Kompetenzzentrum Medizin Tirol (KMT), Anichstrasse 35, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria. E-mail: martin.thurnher{at}uibk.ac.at

Dendritic cells (DC) are the most professional APC, which induce and coordinate immune responses. The principal task of DC is T cell activation, although DC also interact with and regulate other cell types. The present review serves to illustrate the increasing evidence that lipids play an important role in DC biology. In addition to being fuel stores and structural components of cellular membranes such as in other cell types, lipids act as second messengers and as effectors throughout all steps of DC differentiation and regulate important DC functions. The recent finding that DC synthesize lipid antigens in response to bacterial stimulation and induce antibacterial, CD1-restricted T cells through antigenic mimicry further emphasizes the important role of lipids and DC at the blurring boundaries of innate and adaptive immunity.

Key Words: phospholipids • sphingolipids • phospholipase A2 • prostaglandins • CD1 • antigen-presentation