Review
Nature Reviews Immunology 8, 193-204 (March 2008) | doi:10.1038/nri2275
Focus on: Allergy and asthma
Dendritic cells and epithelial cells: linking innate and adaptive immunity in asthma
Hamida Hammad1 & Bart N. Lambrecht1,2 About the authors
Abstract
Dendritic cells (DCs) are generally held responsible for initiating and maintaining allergic T helper 2 (TH2)-cell responses to inhaled allergens in asthma. Although the epithelium was initially considered to function solely as a physical barrier, it is now seen as a central player in the TH2-cell sensitization process by influencing the function of DCs. Clinically relevant allergens, as well as known environmental and genetic risk factors for allergy and asthma, often interfere directly or indirectly with the innate immune functions of airway epithelial cells and DCs. A better understanding of these interactions, ascertained from human and animal studies, might lead to better prevention and treatment of asthma.
- View At a Glance
Author affiliations
- Department of Respiratory Diseases, Laboratory of Immunoregulation and Mucosal Immunology, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium.
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Correspondence to: Bart N. Lambrecht1,2 Email: bart.lambrecht@ugent.be
MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS
These links to content published by NPG are automatically generated.
NEWS AND VIEWS
Dust mites' dirty dealings in the lungNature Medicine News and Views (01 Apr 2009)
Asthma genetics: waiting to exhaleNature Genetics News and Views (01 Mar 1997)
RESEARCH
House dust mite allergen induces asthma via Toll-like receptor 4 triggering of airway structural cellsNature Medicine Article (01 Apr 2009)
Extracellular ATP triggers and maintains asthmatic airway inflammation by activating dendritic cellsNature Medicine Article (01 Aug 2007)
See all 43 matches for Research
