The Prince of Evolution

On natural selection and social behavior.

by Lee Alan Dugatkin Ph.D.

Microbial Psychology 101: How to Be a Nice Cell

By Lee Alan Dugatkin, Ph.D. on February 27, 2012 in The Prince of Evolution

Word is in from the streets of the microbe world, and the message is clear: “You multi-cells are always on about ‘niceness’ and altruism: well, we have those here, in abundance. And we don’t have to schlep around those heavy brains and wiry nervous systems of yours either.” Read More

I'm a DC

Submitted by Kelly Cash on February 27, 2012 - 6:58pm.

Dendritic cells (DCs) are immune cells forming part of the mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the surface to other cells of the immune system. That is, dendritic cells function as antigen-presenting cells. They act as messengers between the innate and adaptive immunity.

Dendritic cells are present in tissues in contact with the external environment, such as the skin (where there is a specialized dendritic cell type called Langerhans cells) and the inner lining of the nose, lungs, stomach and intestines. They can also be found in an immature state in the blood. Once activated, they migrate to the lymph nodes where they interact with T cells and B cells to initiate and shape the adaptive immune response.

At certain development stages they grow branched projections, the dendrites that give the cell its name (δένδρον or déndron being Greek for "tree").

While similar in appearance, these are distinct structures from the dendrites of neurons.

Immature dendritic cells are also called veiled cells, as they possess large cytoplasmic 'veils' rather than dendrites."