ISOLATION AND FUNCTION OF HUMAN DENDRITIC CELLS

This chapter focuses on the Isolation and Function of Human Dendritic Cells (DCs). DCs have been delineated in practically every human organ with the exception of the brain and central cornea. These tissue-resident DCs are thought to provide an extensive network of sentinel antigen-presenting cells (APCs) capable of antigen capture, processing, and subsequent migration to local lymphoid tissue where efficient primary T-lymphocyte stimulation occurs. The work on human DCs has emphasized the close relationship of DCs with other myeloid cells, despite their distinctive morphological and functional properties. The precise relationships between the DCs found in different tissues and their relationship to other myeloid cells remain to be conclusively established. Identification of DC precursors in human bone marrow and understanding the regulation of tissue migration and differentiation is still in its infancy, but important advances are being made, and are outlined in the chapter. © 1994, Academic Press Inc.