The Follicular Dendritic Cell Network
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; Ag presentation to B&T cells & Cstimulation
A Model of Costimulation by FDCs (A molecular model)
Collagen induced activation of FDCs
Aging and FDCs
Aging and antigenic stimulation and Costimulation
C' mediated enhancement of Costimulation by old FDCs
FDC FcgRII downregulation a "bottle neck" in aging
For comments and suggestions please email me at aszakal@comcast.net