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# Dendritic cell (professional antigen-presenting cell)

- Cell

Dendritic cells are sentinels in the tissues that grab antigens, travel to the lymph node and switch on naive T cells.

Updated 2026-11-01

## Key points

- Most potent antigen-presenting cell; the main cell that activates naive T cells.
- Present peptides on MHC class II to CD4 T cells and on MHC class I to CD8 T cells (cross-presentation).
- Mature dendritic cells raise costimulatory B7 molecules (CD80/CD86) and CCR7, which guides them to the lymph node T-cell zone.
- Langerhans cells are the dendritic cells of the epidermis (CD1a, Birbeck granules).
- Follicular dendritic cells of B-cell follicles are a different, non-blood-derived cell that holds intact antigen for B cells.

## What it is

Dendritic cells are branched antigen-presenting cells found in almost every tissue, especially skin and mucosa. They sample their surroundings, and when they sense a microbe they mature, carry its antigens to the draining lymph node and present them to naive T cells together with costimulatory signals. They are the link between innate and adaptive immunity and the most effective cell at starting a new T-cell response.

## Key facts

- Origin: bone marrow precursors; some arise from monocytes during inflammation.
- Two main kinds in blood and tissue: conventional (myeloid) and plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
- Plasmacytoid dendritic cells produce large amounts of type I interferon during viral infection.

## Step by step

- An immature dendritic cell in the skin or mucosa samples material by phagocytosis and pinocytosis.
- Toll-like receptors sense a microbe and the cell matures.
- It processes antigens into peptides and loads them onto MHC molecules.
- It raises CD80/CD86 and CCR7 and migrates through lymph to the regional node.
- In the paracortex it presents antigen to naive T cells, giving signal 1 (MHC-peptide) and signal 2 (B7 to CD28).

## Markers

- MHC class II (high)
- CD80/CD86 (B7)
- CD11c
- CD1a (Langerhans cells)
- CCR7 when mature

## Clinical notes

- Langerhans cell histiocytosis: clonal proliferation of Langerhans-type cells, with lytic bone lesions and skin rashes, mostly in children.
- Contact dermatitis begins when skin dendritic cells pick up a small chemical bound to self-proteins.
- Vaccines and adjuvants work largely by activating dendritic cells.

## Memory aid

The dendritic cell is the field reporter: it collects the story in the tissue, travels to the newsroom (lymph node) and only a reporter with credentials (B7) gets the T cell to publish.

## Test yourself

Think of the answer, then tap the question to see it.

## Which cell is the most effective at activating naive T cells?

The dendritic cell.

## What two signals does a dendritic cell give a naive T cell?

Signal 1: peptide on MHC to the T-cell receptor; signal 2: B7 (CD80/CD86) to CD28.

## Which dendritic cells live in the epidermis, and what marks them?

Langerhans cells, which express CD1a and contain Birbeck granules.

## Which dendritic cell type makes large amounts of type I interferon?

The plasmacytoid dendritic cell.

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## Related

- [Monocyte and macrophage](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/monocyte-and-macrophage/)
- [Lymph node: cortex, paracortex, medulla](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/lymph-node-cortex-paracortex-medulla/)
- [Antigen processing and presentation](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/antigen-processing-and-presentation/)
- [T-cell activation: two signals and superantigens](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/t-cell-activation-two-signals-and-superantigens/)
- [CD4⁺ helper T cell](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/cd4-helper-t-cell/)
- [CD8⁺ cytotoxic T cell](https://durgical.com/en/immunology/cd8-cytotoxic-t-cell/)

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Educational content on the immune system; not a treatment or individual vaccination guide and no substitute for a health professional's advice. No doses are given.

Sources: [Dendritic Cells](https://www.immunology.org/public-information/bitesized-immunology/cells/dendritic-cells) (British Society for Immunology, 2024); [21.3 The Adaptive Immune Response: T lymphocytes and Their Functional Types](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/21-3-the-adaptive-immune-response-t-lymphocytes-and-their-functional-types) (OpenStax, Rice University (Anatomy and Physiology 2e), 2022); [21.2 Barrier Defenses and the Innate Immune Response](https://openstax.org/books/anatomy-and-physiology-2e/pages/21-2-barrier-defenses-and-the-innate-immune-response) (OpenStax, Rice University (Anatomy and Physiology 2e), 2022).

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Representative model, for educational purposes only.

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