Welcome to the Follicular Dendritic Cell (FDC) web site. The purpose of these pages is to provide current information on FDC characteristics and functions in the forms of illustrations, brief descriptions or conclusions, and to provide links to pertinent topics and references. These pages are intended to be a handy but not necessarily comprehensive collection of information.

Introduction 

The cardinal features of FDCs are important to distinguish them from other dendritic cells (DCs) of the dendritic cell family.  Evidence suggests that FDCs represent a group of cells pivotal to the humoral immune response. FDCs are important in:  

Antigen trapping, transport, and retention
Morphology of FDCs
Phenotypic comparison of ATCs and FDCs
Iccosome production by FDCs
ANIMATED model; Ag presentation to B and T cells & Co-stimulation
A Model of Co-stimulation by FDCs (A molecular model)
Collagen induced activation of FDCs
Antibody and memory B cell production
HIV pathogenesis and FDCs
Aging and FDCs
Aging and antigenic stimulation and co-stimulation
C' mediated enhancement of co-stimulation by old FDCs
FDC FcgRII downregulation in aging. The "bottle neck" in aging.
ANIMATED; young and old Ag presentation to B &T cells & Co-stim.

If you have any comments or suggestions, email me at:  

aszakal@comcast.net 

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