Dendritic cell metabolism

This Review describes how key metabolic processes are differentially regulated in dendritic cells (DCs), both during their development and during their participation in active immune responses. The authors discuss the importance of these changes in cellular metabolism for DC function and also explain how both intracellular and extracellular metabolites shape DC biology. The past 15 years have seen enormous advances in our understanding of the receptor and signalling systems that allow dendritic cells (DCs) to respond to pathogens or other danger signals and initiate innate and adaptive immune responses. We are now beginning to appreciate that many of these pathways not only stimulate changes in the expression of genes that control DC immune functions, but also affect metabolic pathways, thereby integrating the cellular requirements of the activation process. In this Review, we focus on this relatively new area of research and attempt to describe an integrated view of DC immunometabolism.