Recent progress in understanding the phenotype and function of intestinal dendritic cells and macrophages

Mucosal immune responses must be tightly controlled, particularly in the intestine. As members of the mononuclear phagocyte family, dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages are well represented in intestinal tissues and have developed unique functional niches. This review will focus on recent findings on antigen uptake and processing in the intestine and the role of DCs in the imprinting of homing receptors on T and B cells, the induction of immunoglobulin A B-cell responses, and the differentiation of regulatory T cells. It will also address the unique phenotype of intestinal macrophages and briefly what is known regarding the relationships between these cell types.