Parasitic infections: a role for C-type lectins receptors

Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) sense the microenvironment through several types of receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns. In particular, C-type lectins receptors (CLRs), which are expressed by distinct subsets of dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (MØs), recognize and internalize specific carbohydrate antigens in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner. The targeting of these receptors is becoming an efficient strategy for parasite recognition. However, relatively little is known about how CLRs are involved in both pathogen recognition and the internalization of parasites. The role of CLRs in parasite infections is an area of considerable interest because this research will impact our understanding of the initiation of innate immune responses, which influences the outcome of specific immune responses. This paper attempts to summarize our understanding of the effects of parasites' interactions with CLRs.