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Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) are a subset of dendritic cells. They resemble plasma cells when viewed under a microscope and are distinct from conventional dendritic cells in terms of their development and function. pDCs produce large amounts of interferons – proteins that are important for immunity to viruses.
Pucella, Maqueda-Alfaro and colleagues distinguish three developmentally related subsets of mouse plasmacytoid dendritic cells that differ in their ability to produce type I interferon and their susceptibility to virus.
Oxidized mitochondrial DNA can be released into cytoplasm activating the Nlrp3 inflammasome resulting in its extracellular release. Here the authors show that only this oxidized form can induce autoantibody production by uptake into plasmacytoid dendritic cells, which then produce interleukin-21 to differentiate naive T cells into TFH cells.
Interferons are important immune regulators, but the functions of type III interferon (IFN-III) in the tumor microenvironment is still unclear. Here the authors show that IFN-III promote plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) activation and TLR-7 responses by counteracting immunosuppression induced by TGF-β and PGE-2.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are the major IFN-I-producing cells, but this production returns to baseline soon after viral infection. Here the authors show that this decrease in IFN-I production and related pDC functions may be attributed to suppressed oxidative and glycolytic metabolism of pDCs, with lactate dehydrogenase B identified as a regulator.
Dalod and colleagues utilize a combinatorial genetic reporter strategy to uniquely mark plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in mice. They utilize these mice to identify bona fide pDCs and functionally characterize before and during viral infection, in comparison to several other DC types.
Plasmacytoid dendritic cells are known for their ability to produce large amounts of type I interferons, which can contribute to autoimmunity. Research now shows that this pathogenicity involves a direct response to circulating oxidized mitochondrial DNA, resulting in activation of NLRP3 inflammasomes.
Confusion exists as to whether transitional dendritic cells are a bone fide subset or just a transitional state, as the name indicates. New data are complicating matters further by showing some interesting heterogeneity in these cells.
Taking advantage of intersectional genetics, Valente et al. report a novel strategy for tracking plasmacytoid dendritic cells (DCs) that enables their discrimination from conventional DCs and plasmacytoid DC–like cells, as well as transitional DCs.
Emerging data suggest a lymphoid origin of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs), which, in most cases, do not share the classical functional properties of myeloid dendritic cells. This Comment proposes that pDCs should be assigned to a subcategory of innate lymphocytes and should be referred to as interferon-producing cells.
