Recent advances towards deciphering human dendritic cell development.

Dendritic cell (DC) populations are the orchestrators of immune responses and arise from hematopoietic progenitors. Studies to unravel DC ontogeny have been conducted mainly in mice due to historical and practical reasons. However, understanding DC development in humans is a prerequisite for manipulating this process for therapeutic design. Here, we review the advantages and limitations of methods used to study human DC development in vitro and in vivo. In particular, we examine the in vitro culture systems that support the differentiation of all or some DC subpopulations. We also review recent discoveries regarding human DC precursors and factors that regulate their differentiation.