Immunology: Macrophages as T-cell primers
Wednesday, April 15, 2015 - 14:00
in Biology & Nature
Macrophages can effectively substitute for so-called dendritic cells as primers of T-cell-dependent immune responses, new research shows. Indeed, they stimulate a broader-based response. "It has been assumed until now that the dendritic cells are considered to be essentially the only cell type responsible for antigen presentation in the immune system. We have now discovered that macrophages can also do this job. Not only that, in certain situations, they can be more effective than dendritic cells," says one researcher.