Dendritic cells and their role in periodontal disease

Abstract

T cells, particularly CD4+ T cells, play a central role in both progression and control of periodontal disease, whereas the contribution of the various CD4+ T helper subsets to periodontal destruction remains controversial, the activation, and regulation of these cells is orchestrated by dendritic cells. As sentinels of the oral mucosa, dendritic cells encounter and capture oral microbes, then migrate to the lymph node where they regulate the differentiation of CD4+ T cells. It is thus clear that dendritic cells are of major importance in the course of periodontitis, as they hold the immunological cues delivered by the pathogen and the surrounding environment, allowing them to induce destructive immunity. In recent years, advanced immunological techniques and new mouse models have facilitated in vivo studies that have provided new insights into the developmental and functional aspects of dendritic cells. This progress has also benefited the characterization of oral dendritic cells, as well as to their function in periodontitis. Here, we provide an overview of the various gingival dendritic cell subsets and their distribution, while focusing on their role in periodontal bone loss.

Immature, but Not Mature, Dendritic Cells Are More Often Present in Aggressive Periodontitis Than Chronic Periodontitis: An Immunohistochemical Study

“…These findings are relevant since it is known that ability of DCs to regulate immunity is dependent on DC maturation. Thus, the results of the present study suggest that predominance of imDCs and scarcer amount of mDCs in AgP than CP appear to be involved in their etiopathogenetic mechanisms, probably indicating lack or impairment of ability to induce lymphocyte and/or macrophage activation 14 …”

“…Results suggest that predominance of imDCs appears to be involved in AgP pathogenesis, probably due to lack of ability to induce immune cell activation. This is supported by the fact that DCs, as APCs which constitutively express MHC Class II proteins required for interaction with naive T‐cells, during maturation and activation processes after bacterial interactions, can activate and drive host immune reaction 14 …”

“…Periodontal tissue contains three types of immature (im) DCs: 1) Langerhans cells (LCs); 2) submucosal (sub) DCs; and 3) plasmacytoid (p) DCs 3 , 13 . LCs constitute a distinct population, which, following antigen capture, differentiates into mature (m) DCs 14 , 15 . Depending on activation and maturation state, DCs play an important role in initiation and amplification of adaptive immune responses, modulating activation and differentiation of both B‐ and T‐cells, as well as regulating critical interactions with macrophage populations 3 , 4 .…”

Serotype‐dependent response of human dendritic cells stimulated with Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans

“…Abundant immature DCs, including Langerhans cells, have been detected in the junctional epithelium and gingival sulcus, and mature CD83 + DCs have been observed in close proximity to CD4 + T lymphocytes in the gingival connective tissue, increasing in number during periodontal infection (Newcomb et al 1982, Seguier et al 2000a,b, Jotwani et al 2001, Cirrincione et al 2002, Gemmell et al 2003, Jotwani & Cutler 2003, Cutler & Jotwani 2006, Cutler & Teng 2007, Wilensky et al 2014. Abundant immature DCs, including Langerhans cells, have been detected in the junctional epithelium and gingival sulcus, and mature CD83 + DCs have been observed in close proximity to CD4 + T lymphocytes in the gingival connective tissue, increasing in number during periodontal infection (Newcomb et al 1982, Seguier et al 2000a,b, Jotwani et al 2001, Cirrincione et al 2002, Gemmell et al 2003, Jotwani & Cutler 2003, Cutler & Jotwani 2006, Cutler & Teng 2007, Wilensky et al 2014.…”

Effect of Aging on Periodontal Inflammation, Microbial Colonization, and Disease Susceptibility

“…Dendritic cells (DCs) are professional antigen-presenting cells that initiate primary and secondary T-cell responses (Wilensky et al 2014). DCs play an essential role in resistance to infection by their ability to present bacterial antigen to lymphocytes, initiating the adaptive immune response (Cutler and Teng 2007;Hovav 2014).…”