Transcriptional Networks Driving Dendritic Cell Differentiation and Function

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the sentinels of the immune system, sensing a diverse array of pathogens to stimulate a robust and appropriate immune response. To initiate responses to highly disparate challenges, DCs have diversified into multiple phenotypically, anatomically, and functionally distinct cell types. As a result of the application of new single-cell technologies, the full extent of this diversity, as well as the developmental relationships of the DC lineages, is currently undergoing reassessment. Here, we review the cellular and molecular evidence that underpins current models of DC differentiation and functional diversification in the murine and human systems. We discuss these models in the context of the diversity revealed by single-cell studies and propose that understanding DC identity will require defining the regulatory interactions that control gene expression in these cells.