dendritic cell
Meaning of dendritic cell: A dendritic cell captures and displays antigens to other immune cells, acting as a key link between the body's initial and adaptive immune responses.
Definition of dendritic cell
A dendritic cell is a specialized immune cell found throughout tissues that are exposed to the outside environment, such as the skin and the linings of the respiratory and digestive tracts, as well as within lymphoid organs. It takes its name from its long, branching projections, which resemble the branches of a tree and increase the cell's surface area for interacting with its surroundings.
A dendritic cell functions as an antigen presenting cell, meaning it captures foreign material, such as fragments of a virus or bacterium, processes it internally, and then displays pieces of that material, called antigens, on its surface. The dendritic cell then travels to a lymph node, where it presents these antigens to other immune cells, particularly T cells, activating a more targeted immune response.
Because dendritic cells connect the body's early, general immune defenses with the more specific responses coordinated by T cells and B cells, they play a central role in initiating and shaping how the immune system responds to a particular infection or foreign substance.
Used in a sentence
Dendritic cells were used in a laboratory setting to help present tumor antigens to the patient's immune cells.
Good to know
A dendritic cell does not destroy pathogens directly the way some other immune cells do, but instead activates and directs the more targeted immune response carried out by T cells and B cells.
Word origin
Where “dendritic cell” comes from
Formed from Greek dendron, meaning tree, describing the cell's long, branching projections.