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Published on: March 7, 2022
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells: one-trick ponies or workhorses of the immune system?
Boris Reizis1, Marco Colonna, Giorgio Trinchieri
1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Columbia University, 701 W. 168th St., New York, New York 10032, USA. bvr2101@columbia.edu
Abstract:
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) were first described as interferon-producing cells and, for many years, their overlapping characteristics with both lymphocytes and classical dendritic cells (cDCs) created confusion over their exact ontogeny. In this Viewpoint article, Nature Reviews Immunology asks five leaders in the field to discuss their thoughts on the development and functions of pDCs--do these cells serve mainly as a major source of type I interferons or do they also make other important contributions to immune responses?
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