Mechanisms of Surveillance of Dendritic Cells by Regulatory T Lymphocytes

Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are critical to maintain the homeostasis of the organism, i.e., to prevent (excessive) inflammatory reactions against self and nonself. Data in the literature suggest that a variety of suppressive mechanisms exist that may act selectively depending on the tissue environment. An interesting question is whether dendritic cells (DCs), which are involved in immunity and tolerance, are targets of Tregs. We review herein some experimental evidence indicating that some suppressive mechanisms involve DCs, altering their function and inducing an immune control at the very first step of the immune response.