Antigen receptors and dendritic cells

Several age-related alterations occurring in the immune system, especially in T cells and in B cells, may account for an increased susceptibility to i nfections, autoimmune diseases, and malignancies. In particular, the adapti ve immune response has been shown to lose part of its diversity and its mem ory in old mice. However, whether dendritic cells, which play a central rol e in the initiation of the cellular immunity but are also involved in humor al immunity, participate qualitatively or quantitatively in immunosenescenc e remains to be determined. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reser ved.