Dendritic cells: The driver of psoriasis

Abstract Psoriasis is a chronic skin inflammatory disorder, the immune mechanism of which has been profoundly elucidated in the past few years. The dominance of the interleukin (IL)‐23/IL‐17 axis is a significant breakthrough in the understanding of the pathogenesis of psoriasis, and treatment targeting IL‐23 and IL‐17 has successfully benefited patients with the disease. The skin contains a complex network of dendritic cells (DC) mainly composed of epidermal Langerhans cells, bone marrow‐derived dermal conventional DC, plasmacytoid DC and inflammatory DC. As the prominent cellular source of α‐interferon, tumor necrosis factor‐α, IL‐12 and IL‐23, DC play a pivotal role in psoriasis. Thus, targeting pathogenic DC subsets is a valid strategy for alleviating and preventing psoriasis and other DC‐derived diseases. In this review, we survey the known role of DC in this disease.