Dendritic cells (DCs) are
immune cells and form part of the
mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the surface to other cells of the immune system, thus functioning as
antigen-presenting cells.Dendritic cells are present in small quantities in tissues that are in contact with the external environment, mainly the
skin (where they are often called
Langerhans cells) and the inner lining of the
nose,
lungs,
stomach and
intestines. They can also be found in an immature state in the
blood. Once activated, they migrate to the lymphoid tissues where they interact with T cells and B cells to initiate and shape the adaptive immune response. At certain development stages they grow branched projections, the
dendrites, that give the cell its name. However, these do not have any special relation with
neurons, which also possess similar appendages. Immature dendritic cells are also called veiled cells, in which case they possess large cytoplasmic 'veils' rather than dendrites.
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A special type of antigen-presenting cell (APC) that activates T lymphocytes.