Dendritic cell trafficking: more than just chemokines.

Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen presenting cells. To accomplish their biological function they need to undergo a complex pattern of migration which includes their localization to both peripheral non-lymphoid tissues and secondary lymphoid organs. In the absence of correct tissue localization, DC fail to promote proper immune responses. The first description of chemotactic factors active on DC was published by this group 10 years ago. Since then, it was described that multiple signals are able to regulate the migration of DC in vitro and in vivo. These signals include nonchemokine chemotactic agonists, lipid mediators and membrane proteins. This review summarizes this large body of information and focuses on the complexity of the process of DC trafficking.