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Langerhans cell
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Not to be confused with the cells of the islets of Langerhans.
Langerhans cells are dendritic cells in the epidermis, containing large granules called Birbeck granules. They are normally present in lymph nodes and other organs, including the stratum spinosum layer of the epidermis. They can be found elsewhere, particularly in association with the condition histiocytosis. The cells are named after German anatomist and physician Paul Langerhans.
a class="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m3635523",this)' onMouseout='hide("m3635523")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/Infection">infection of an area of skin, the local Langerhans cells will take up and process microbial antigens to become fully-functional antigen-presenting cells.
Generally, dendritic cells in tissue are active in the capture, uptake and processing of antigens.
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Not to be confused with the cells of the islets of Langerhans.
Langerhans cells are dendritic cells in the epidermis, containing large granules called Birbeck granules. They are normally present in lymph nodes and other organs, including the stratum spinosum layer of the epidermis. They can be found elsewhere, particularly in association with the condition histiocytosis. The cells are named after German anatomist and physician Paul Langerhans.
Function
On infection of an area of skin, the local Langerhans cells will take up and process microbial antigens to become fully-functional antigen-presenting cells.
Generally, dendritic cells in tissue are active in the capture, uptake and processing of antigens. Once dendritic cells arrive in secondary lymphoid tissue however, they lose these properties while gaining the capacity to interact with naive T-cells.
Langerhans' cells are derived from the cellular differentiation of monocytes with the marker "Gr-1" (also known as "Ly-6c/G"). The differentiation requires stimulation by colony stimulating factor (CSF)-1. They are similar in morphology and function to macrophages.
Langerin is a protein found in Langerhans cells, and other types of dendritic cells.
Clinical significance
LCH
In the rare disease Langerhans' cell histiocytosis (LCH), an excess of these cells is produced, which can cause damage to skin, bone and other organs.
HIV
Langerhans' cells capture HIV-1 virions by way of Fc receptor binding to antibody-coated virus. Langerhans' cells act as reservoirs for the HIV-1 virus, serving as a site of replication when T-cells become depleted (Robbins Pathology).
Langerhans' cells have been observed in foreskin, vaginal, and oral mucosa of humans; the lower concentrations in oral mucosa suggest that it is not a likely source of HIV infection relative to foreskin and vaginal mucosa.
On March 4 2007 the online Nature Medicine magazine published the letter "Langerin is a natural barrier to HIV-1 transmission by Langerhans cells." Teunis Geijtenbeek, one of the authors of the study, said that "Langerin is able to scavenge viruses from the surrounding environment, thereby preventing infection" and "since generally all tissues on the outside of our bodies have Langerhans cells, we think that the human body is equipped with an antiviral defense mechanism, destroying incoming viruses."
History
The Langerhans cell is named after Paul Langerhans, a German physician and anatomist, who discovered the cells while he was a medical student. He mistakenly identified the cells as part of the nervous system.
See also
External links
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