Functions and molecular mechanisms regulating the functions of chemotactic receptors in dendritic cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells whose activity is essential for the initiation and resolution of inflammatory processes and the generation of antigen-specific immune responses (see references in the objectives section). DCs express chemotactic receptors CCR7 (ligands CCL19 and CCL21). DCs use the mentioned chemotactic receptor to migrate to the lymph nodes where, as part of the adaptive response, these cells will immunological synapse (IS), regions of cell-cell contacts, with T lymphocytes. The IS include molecular structures at the DC and the T lymphocyte sides, regions called IS (DC) and IS (T cell), respectively. In our group, we study the molecular mechanisms used by CCR7 and the SI (CD) to modulate the functions of DCs.