Adhesion molecules in human dendritic cells.

Dendritic cells are bone marrow-derived professional antigen-presenting cells that link innate and adaptive immunity, and they are essentially involved in the initiation of primary immune responses and in the establishment of peripheral tolerance. The existence of distinct functional states and subsets of dendritic cells is critical for the generation of pathogen-specific immune responses without the risk of autoimmunity or chronic inflammation. To fulfil their effector tasks in tissues and lymph nodes, dendritic cells must engage in multiple adhesive and migratory events. The molecular dissection of these adhesive interactions may provide new potential therapeutic targets to modulate immune responses and to improve current dendritic cell-based therapeutic cancer vaccines.