Dermal dendritic cells are important members of the skin immune system

In conclusion we have shown that motile cells with a dendritic morphology can be isolated from dermis of normal and diseased human skin. DDC bear high amounts of MHC class II molecules on their surface, and are very potent antigen presenting cells. Subpopulations of these cells acquire certain ultrastructural features of Langerhans cells in-vitro such as Birbeck granule formation and CD1a expression. These newly defined members of the dendritic cell family of APCs may be precursors of epidermal Langerhans cells and may play a role in skin immune responses. Furthermore in inflammatory dermatoses such as psoriasis, a role in the autostimulation and cytokine production of T cells could be demonstrated. Given their number, distribution, and in-vitro functional capacity, it is appropriate at this time to conclude that DDCs are indeed important members of the skin immune system.