CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DIABETES CANADIAN JOURNAL OF DIABETES. 2004;28(1):20-29.

Dendritic cells govern the outcome of an immune response toward either tolerance or autoimmunity. Recent evidence has demonstrated that central tolerance is associated with relatively immature dendritic cells or quiescent mature den-dritic cells that present self-antigens to autoreactive T cells, thereby silencing their autoreactive potential and/or activat-ing regulatory T cells. Conversely, activated mature dendrit-ic cells that have been instructed to become potent T cell stimulators by adjuvants or pathogens are capable of con-verting tolerance to immune activation. In combination with genetic and environmental influences, such mature dendritic cells are capable of orchestrating autoimmune responses. To explore the function of dendritic cells in type 1 dia-betes mellitus, the authors evaluated peripheral dendritic cells from both patients with type 1 diabetes and th