QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online June 25, 2007

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content

Coffee break for dendritic cell Ca²⁺

The first step in an adaptive immune response (one tailored to individual pathogens) is maturation of dendritic cells (DCs). These cells live in peripheral tissues and, when microbial products bind to their Toll-like receptors (TLRs), they mature into antigen-presenting cells. These then migrate to lymph nodes, where they stimulate naive T cells. An increase in intracellular Ca²⁺ is also involved in DC maturation, but what drives Ca²⁺ release? On p. 2232, Susan Treves and co-authors provide the first evidence that the type 1 ryanodine receptor (RyR1), an intracellular Ca²⁺ channel found mainly in skeletal muscle, is involved in DC maturation. They show that treatment of immature DCs with the RyR1 agonist caffeine increases intracellular Ca²⁺ levels and that concomitant treatment of these cells with caffeine and suboptimal amounts of TLR ligands leads to DC maturation and stimulation of T-cell functions. The authors propose, therefore, that DC maturation involves cooperation between RyR1-mediated and TLR-mediated signalling, particularly when the levels of TLR ligands are suboptimal.

Related articles in JCS:

Ca²⁺ signaling through ryanodine receptor 1 enhances maturation and activation of human dendritic cells

Laura Bracci, Mirko Vukcevic, Giulio Spagnoli, Sylvie Ducreux, Francesco Zorzato, and Susan Treves
JCS 2007 120: 2232-2240. [Abstract] [Full Text]  

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JCS Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Search for Related Content