Intestinal DC in migrational imprinting of immune cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) have a pivotal role in instructing antigen-specific immune responses, processing and presenting antigens to CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and producing factors capable to modulate the quality of T-cell responses. In this review, we will provide an historic overview on the identification of the mechanisms controlling lymphocyte migration into the largest immune organ of the body: the gut, and we will describe how in recent years an unexpected role for DCs has emerged as the architects in programming gut-homing immune cells. Specifically, we will review how intestinal DCs utilize the dietary vitamin A metabolite retinoic acid (RA) to program gut-homing lymphocytes and how intestinal DCs acquire the unique capacity to become RA producers. © 2013 Australasian Society for Immunology Inc. All rights reserved