Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that serve as sentinels to survey the environment for pathogens using pattern-recognition receptors including TLRs, NLRs, and CLRs. Upon recognition and antigen uptake, dendritic cells migrate to secondary lymphoid organs to prime the adaptive immune response through T cell engagement and activation. They also play a role in central tolerance in the thymus by interacting with developing T cells to anergize autoreactive T cells and prime regulatory T cell development. Dendritic cells develop from macrophages in the bone marrow. Lymphoid tissue-resident DCs can be distinguished by their expression of CD8α while non-lymphoid resident DCs include CD103+ and CD11b+ DC subsets.
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