洛克菲勒大学分子免疫学实验室，西奈山医学院基因与细胞医学系，霍华休斯医学院（HHMI）免疫学系的研究者在最新一期的Science杂志上发表封面文章，文章主要讲述树突状细胞的发育机制，文章标题：In Vivo Analysis of Dendritic Cell Development and Homeostasis。
树突状细胞是由美国学者Steinman于1973年发现的，是目前所知的功能最强的抗原提呈细胞，因其成熟时伸出许多树突样或伪足样突起而得名。树突状细胞（Dendritic cells, DC）是机体功能最强的专职抗原递呈细胞(Antigen presenting cells, APC)，它能高效地摄取、加工处理和递呈抗原，未成熟DC具有较强的迁移能力，成熟DC能有效激活初始型T细胞，处于启动、调控、并维持免疫应答的中心环节。
树突细胞根据其起源分为髓样树突细胞（myeloid dendritic cells，MDC），和淋巴样树突细胞（Lymophiod dendritic cells，LDC）。对于淋巴样树突细胞而言，它与相同前体分化的核单核细胞系在发育前定居在什么地方，如何从骨髓进入到外周淋巴器官这些机制一直不明。
Michael的研究小组发现巨噬细胞和DC前体细胞逐渐发育成普通的DC前体细胞，普通的前体细胞发育成类浆DC细胞（Plasmacytoid DCs）和经典的脾脏DCs（spleen DCs，cDCs），最终定型为前体cDCs。前体cDCs细胞（Pre-cDCs）进入淋巴结，移行至高度内皮化的小静脉，最终分散到淋巴结中，进入树突细胞网络定居下来。关于cDC细胞发育的更深入的调节机制比如细胞周期等这些受调节性T细胞和fms样络氨酸激酶受体3有关。（生物谷Bioon.com）
生物谷推荐原始出处：
Science 17 April 2009:DOI: 10.1126/science.1170540
In Vivo Analysis of Dendritic Cell Development and Homeostasis
Kang Liu,1* Gabriel D. Victora,1 Tanja A. Schwickert,1 Pierre Guermonprez,1 Matthew M. Meredith,1 Kaihui Yao,1 Fei-Fan Chu,1 Gwendalyn J. Randolph,2 Alexander Y. Rudensky,3,4 Michel Nussenzweig1,4*
Dendritic cells (DCs) in lymphoid tissue arise from precursors that also produce monocytes and plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs). Where DC and monocyte lineage commitment occurs and the nature of the DC precursor that migrates from the bone marrow to peripheral lymphoid organs are unknown. We show that DC development progresses from the macrophage and DC precursor to common DC precursors that give rise to pDCs and classical spleen DCs (cDCs), but not monocytes, and finally to committed precursors of cDCs (pre-cDCs). Pre-cDCs enter lymph nodes through and migrate along high endothelial venules and later disperse and integrate into the DC network. Further cDC development involves cell division, which is controlled in part by regulatory T cells and fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3.
1 Laboratory of Molecular Immunology, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.
2 Department of Gene and Cell Medicine, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029, USA.
3 Department of Immunology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
4 HHMI, Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10021, USA.
