Researchers discover the origins of key immune cells
Chronic inflammatory conditions are extremely common diseases in humans and in the entire animal kingdom. Both in autoimmune diseases and pathogen-caused diseases, the inflamed areas are rapidly colonized by antibody producing B lymphocytes which organize themselves in highly structured areas called "lymphoid follicles". The scaffold of such follicles is provided by follicular dendritic cells (FDCs). FDCs have important roles in the development of immune responses, since they trap antigens for protracted periods of, thereby training B lymphocytes to recognize the invaders. However, FDCs can also play deleterious roles in disease, because they can provide sanctuaries for infectious pathogens such as the human immunodeficiency virus and prions.