HHV-6 and Dendritic Cells
Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells , (also known as accessory cells ) of the mammalian immune system . Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system. They act as messengers between the innate and the adaptive immune systems . Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dendritic_cell Human herpesvirus 6 impairs differentiation of monocytes to dendritic cells "OBJECTIVE:Monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DCs) play important roles in the immune response against infections and malignancies. Human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) infects monocytes and is reactivated in immunodeficient patients. To clarify the mechanisms of HHV-6-induced immunodeficiency, we investigated the effect of HHV-6 infection on differentiation of monocytes to DCs." http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16647570 Phenotypic and functional alterations of dendritic cells induced by human herpesvirus 6 infection. ...