Enumeration of Benign and Malignant Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells in Peripheral Blood and Bone Marrow by...

Dendritic cells (DCs) are powerful antigen-presenting cells involved in regulating immune response. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a subtype of DCs present in small quantities in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and lymph nodes. They are an important component of our immune system's regulation and response to diseases. They activate T cells and play a critical role in immune tolerance. In this chapter, we review the immunophenotypic features of pDCs and provide a practical protocol for pDCs enumeration in the peripheral blood and in bone marrow samples.