J. Exp. Med. 206, 549–559 (2009)

Dendritic cells, which present antigens to immature T cells to prime them for action against pathogens, seem to contribute to autoimmune disease. But recent findings suggest they can prevent autoimmunity as well. David Voehringer at the University of Munich in Germany and his colleagues have found that ridding mice of dendritic cells seems to cause a severe autoimmune reaction.

They created transgenic mice that selectively expressed a bacterial toxin in their dendritic cells, and had less than 10% of normal levels as a result. These mice were unable to mount an immune response to infections, but by six weeks of age their internal organs had been infiltrated by a large numbers of mature helper T cells, causing inflammation; by eight weeks this process was fatal in 40% of the mice.