Thanks to this “armoring function”, dendritic cells constitute a ray of hope for personalized immunotherapy. During this time, their purpose is to activate immature (naïve) T cells and transform them into potent killer cells (cytotoxic T cells). The antigenic MHC-I molecules remain stable for several days.
During this process, antigens are produced that enable the dendritic cells to bind to MHC-I receptors and then present them on the cell surface.
These are phagocytes (scavenger cells) that patrol through the body in search of infected or degenerated cells, ingest them and degrade them inside a membrane vesicle.
They carry a receptor on their surface that recognizes small protein fragments – antigens – presented to them by specialized immune cells, including the highly efficient dendritic cells. After activation, they can systematically kill off target cells that have degenerated or are infected with a virus. The specific or acquired immune system of vertebrates is a powerful weapon against pathogens and pathologically altered body cells. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt and its partner institutes have now identified further interaction partners of the protein complex responsible for loading MHC-I molecules in dendritic cells.įRANKFURT. Certain membrane proteins, MHC-I molecules, enable this process within dendritic cells. In so doing, they activate the latter so that these recognize the fragments as foreign. They trigger an immune response by presenting protein fragments, for example of viruses, to T cells. Markus Bernards Public Relations und Kommunikation Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am MainĪs part of the immune system, dendritic cells are essential for fighting body cells that have degenerated or are infected with a virus. The conference will be of interest to researchers and students in neuroscience, as well as to anyone interested in normal and abnormal brain function.The armorers: How dendritic cells activate the immune systemĭr. This Gordon Research Conference will bring together researchers whose latest findings help clarify how the properties of dendrites enable them to perform complex computations important for sensory-motor processing and higher cognitive function.
Computational and theoretical approaches have further refined our views of dendrites and their unique role in brain function. Such multifaceted approaches have further demonstrated the extent to which dendrite structure and function may undergo plastic changes that contribute to development, learning and neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disease. Advances in molecular, electrophysiological and imaging techniques have led to a rapid enhancement in our understanding of the mechanisms that shape dendritic structure, function and connectivity and the contribution of dendritic computation to behavior. Dendrites play a central role in neuronal computation by integrating thousands of synaptic inputs to generate the output of the neuron in the form of axosomatic action potentials.
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