Are dendritic cells central to regulatory T cell function?

The role of dendritic cells (DCs) as sentinels and inducers of immunity has been amply documented in the past 35 years. More recently, experimental evidence has suggested that DCs may also be critical to maintain tolerance to self-antigens. These opposing functions are complementary and would ensure the integrity of the organism in an environment full of pathogens. In this review, we summarize the observations supporting the hypothesis that DCs induce and maintain tolerance by a mechanism involving regulatory T cells.