Steinman Ralph M
Laboratory of Cellular Physiology and Immunology and the Chris Browne Center for Immunology and Immune Disease, The Rockefeller University, New York 10021-6399, USA.
APMIS. 2003 Jul-Aug;111(7-8):675-97. doi: 10.1034/j.1600-0463.2003.11107802.x.
The field of dendritic cell (DC) biology is robust, with several new approaches to analyze their role in vivo and many newly recognized functions in the control of immunity and tolerance. There also is no shortage of mysteries and challenges. To introduce this volume, I would like to summarize four interfaces of DC research with other lines of investigation and highlight some current issues. One interface is with hematopoiesis. DCs constitute a distinct lineage of white blood cell development with some unique features, such as their origin from both lymphoid and myeloid progenitors, the existence of several distinct subsets, and an important final stage of differentiation termed "maturation," which occurs in response to inflammation and infection, and is pivotal for determining the subsequent immune response. A second interface is with lymphocyte biology. DCs are now known to influence many different classes of lymphocytes (B, NK, NKT) and many types of T cell responses (Th1/Th2, regulatory T cells, peripheral T cell deletion), not just the initial priming or induction of T cell-mediated immunity, which was the first function to be uncovered. DCs are sentinels, controlling many of the afferent or inductive limbs of immune function, alerting the immune system and controlling its early decisions. A third interface is with cell biology. This is a critical discipline to understand at the subcellular and molecular levels the distinct capacities of DCs to handle antigens, to move about the body in a directed way, to bind and activate lymphocytes, and to exert many quality controls on the type of responses, for both tolerance and immunity. A fourth interface is with medicine. Here DCs are providing new approaches to disease pathogenesis and therapy. This interface is perhaps the most demanding, because it requires research with humans. Human research currently is being slowed by the need to deal with many challenges in the design of such studies, and the need to excite, attract and support the young scientists who are essential to move human investigation forward. Nonetheless, DCs are providing new opportunities to study patients and the many clinical conditions that involve the immune system.
树突状细胞（DC）生物学领域发展蓬勃，有多种新方法可用于分析其在体内的作用，并且在免疫和耐受控制方面有许多新发现的功能。当然，谜团和挑战也不少。为了介绍本书，我想总结一下DC研究与其他研究领域的四个交叉点，并强调一些当前的问题。第一个交叉点是与造血作用相关。DC构成了白细胞发育中的一个独特谱系，具有一些独特特征，例如它们起源于淋巴样和髓样祖细胞，存在几个不同的亚群，以及一个重要的最终分化阶段，称为“成熟”，它发生于炎症和感染反应中，对于决定后续免疫反应至关重要。第二个交叉点是与淋巴细胞生物学相关。现在已知DC会影响许多不同类型的淋巴细胞（B细胞、NK细胞、NKT细胞）以及多种类型的T细胞反应（Th1/Th2、调节性T细胞、外周T细胞缺失），而不仅仅是最初发现的T细胞介导免疫的启动或诱导。DC是哨兵，控制着免疫功能的许多传入或诱导环节，提醒免疫系统并控制其早期决策。第三个交叉点是与细胞生物学相关。这是一门关键学科，可在亚细胞和分子水平上理解DC处理抗原、定向在体内移动、结合并激活淋巴细胞以及对耐受和免疫反应类型进行多种质量控制的独特能力。第四个交叉点是与医学相关。在此，DC为疾病发病机制和治疗提供了新方法。这个交叉点可能要求最高，因为它需要对人类进行研究。目前，由于需要应对此类研究设计中的诸多挑战，以及需要激励、吸引和支持推动人体研究前进所必需的年轻科学家，人体研究进展缓慢。尽管如此，DC为研究患者以及许多涉及免疫系统的临床病症提供了新机会。
