Dendritic cells as inducers of antimicrobial immunity in vivo.

Models of infection have provided important insight into the function of dendritic cells (DC) in vivo. Several microbial products induce DC maturation via Toll-like receptors, a process that is crucial for the ability of DC to initiate adaptive immune responses. Splenic DC have also been shown to produce IL-12 during infection in vivo. This DC-derived IL-12 might be important to skew T cell responses towards Th1. Microbial infections also induce changes in the DC populations of lymphoid organs, often in a subset-specific manner, manifested as an accumulation and redistribution of DC. Furthermore, data are emerging pointing at an absolute requirement of DC in priming of naïve T cells in vivo.