Abstract

The principal components of both MHC class I and class II antigen processing and presentation pathways are well known. In dendritic cells, these pathways are tightly regulated by Toll-like-receptor signalling and include features, such as cross-presentation, that are not seen in other cell types. However, the exact mechanisms involved in the subcellular trafficking of antigens remain poorly understood and in some cases are controversial. Recent data suggest that diverse cellular machineries, including autophagy, participate in antigen processing and presentation, although their relative contributions remain to be fully elucidated. Here, we highlight some emerging themes of antigen processing and presentation that we think merit further attention.

Author affiliations

1. Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02142, USA.
2. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
3. Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02114, USA.
4. Department of Biology, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.

Correspondence to: Email: ploegh@wi.mit.edu

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