Immunologic responses in vascularized and nonvascularized skin allografts. 2008

Maria Siemionow, and Serdar Nasir
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. siemiom@ccf.org

The skin is a protective interface between internal organs and the environment; it is the largest tissue of the human body. However, the skin does not serve merely as a physical barrier. It is also an active immune organ, traversed by a network of lymphatic and blood vessels. This immunologic structure contains immunologic cells such as T lymphocytes, Langerhans cells (LCs), dendritic cells, and keratinocytes. Langerhans cells represent the cutaneous counterpart of dendritic cells. LCs not only act as professional antigen-presenting cells to induce antigen-specific T cells for adaptive immune responses, but they also initiate a cascade of innate immune responses by antigenic stimulus such as transplant tissue. In transplantation immunology, either donor or recipient LCs fulfill an important mission in rejection or acceptance of donor tissue. Vascularized or nonvascularized skin allografts may create an immunologic response through different pathways. In both transplant models, skin diameter may change antigenic load, thereby determining rejection or acceptance response. This article discusses the effects of the cellular component in the skin immune system on immunologic responses of vascularized or nonvascularized skin allografts and describes the differences between the two immunologic cascades.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D007801 Langerhans Cells Recirculating, dendritic, antigen-presenting cells containing characteristic racket-shaped granules (Birbeck granules). They are found principally in the stratum spinosum of the EPIDERMIS and are rich in Class II MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX molecules. Langerhans cells were the first dendritic cell to be described and have been a model of study for other dendritic cells (DCs), especially other migrating DCs such as dermal DCs and INTERSTITIAL DENDRITIC CELLS. Langerhans Cell,Dendritic Cells, Dermal,Dendritic Cells, Epidermal,Dendritic Cells, Skin,Dermal Dendritic Cells,Epidermal Dendritic Cells,Skin Dendritic Cells,Cell, Dermal Dendritic,Cell, Epidermal Dendritic,Cell, Langerhans,Cell, Skin Dendritic,Cells, Dermal Dendritic,Cells, Epidermal Dendritic,Cells, Langerhans,Cells, Skin Dendritic,Dendritic Cell, Dermal,Dendritic Cell, Epidermal,Dendritic Cell, Skin,Dermal Dendritic Cell,Epidermal Dendritic Cell,Skin Dendritic Cell
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D012867 Skin The outer covering of the body that protects it from the environment. It is composed of the DERMIS and the EPIDERMIS.
D013524 Surgical Flaps Tongues of skin and subcutaneous tissue, sometimes including muscle, cut away from the underlying parts but often still attached at one end. They retain their own microvasculature which is also transferred to the new site. They are often used in plastic surgery for filling a defect in a neighboring region. Island Flap,Island Flaps,Flap, Surgical,Flaps, Surgical,Pedicled Flap,Surgical Flap,Flap, Island,Flap, Pedicled,Flaps, Island,Flaps, Pedicled,Pedicled Flaps
D016038 Skin Transplantation The grafting of skin in humans or animals from one site to another to replace a lost portion of the body surface skin. Dermatoplasty,Grafting, Skin,Transplantation, Skin,Dermatoplasties,Graftings, Skin,Skin Grafting,Skin Graftings,Skin Transplantations,Transplantations, Skin
D018183 Transplantation Chimera An organism that, as a result of transplantation of donor tissue or cells, consists of two or more cell lines descended from at least two zygotes. This state may result in the induction of donor-specific TRANSPLANTATION TOLERANCE. Chimera, Transplantation,Chimeras, Transplantation,Transplantation Chimeras

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