Baylor Institute for Immunology Research, 3434 Live Oak, Dallas, TX 75204, USA.
Microb Pathog. 2013 May;58:35-44. doi: 10.1016/j.micpath.2012.11.010. Epub 2012 Nov 29.
Dendritic cells (DCs) are major antigen presenting cells (APCs) that can initiate and control host immune responses toward either immunity or tolerance. These features of DCs, as immune orchestrators, are well characterized by their tissue localizations as well as by their subset-dependent functional specialties and plasticity. Thus, the level of protective immunity to invading microbial pathogens can be dependent on the subsets of DCs taking up microbial antigens and their functional plasticity in response to microbial products, host cellular components and the cytokine milieu in the microenvironment. Vaccines are the most efficient and cost-effective preventive medicine against infectious diseases. However, major challenges still remain for the diseases caused by sexually-transmitted pathogens, including HIV, HPV, HSV and Chlamydia. We surmise that the establishment of protective immunity in the female genital mucosa, the major entry and transfer site of these pathogens, will bring significant benefit for the protection against sexually-transmitted diseases. Recent progresses made in DC biology suggest that vaccines designed to target proper DC subsets may permit us to establish protective immunity in the female genital mucosa against sexually-transmitted pathogens.
树突状细胞（DCs）是主要的抗原呈递细胞（APCs），可以启动和控制宿主对免疫或耐受的免疫反应。作为免疫协调者，DCs 的这些特征与其组织定位以及亚群依赖性功能专业知识和可塑性有关。因此，对入侵微生物病原体的保护性免疫水平可能取决于摄取微生物抗原的 DC 亚群及其对微生物产物、宿主细胞成分和微环境细胞因子环境的功能可塑性。疫苗是预防传染病最有效和最具成本效益的医学手段。然而，性传播病原体（包括 HIV、HPV、HSV 和衣原体）引起的疾病仍然存在重大挑战。我们推测，在女性生殖道黏膜中建立保护性免疫，这是这些病原体的主要进入和转移部位，将为预防性传播疾病带来重大益处。DC 生物学的最新进展表明，针对适当的 DC 亚群设计的疫苗可能使我们能够在女性生殖道黏膜中建立针对性传播病原体的保护性免疫。
