Exploring the Role of Antigen presenting cells in Male Genital Tract

GUAZZONE V. A.

Andrologia

Wiley Online Library

Año: 2018

Antigen presenting cells (APC) play an important role in the early stage of immune response by linking innate immune responsiveness with the generation of adaptive immunity. APC have multiple immunoregulatory functions in physiological and pathological states, including tissue homeostasis, defense against pathogens, autoimmunity, and cancer. Dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages (Mφ) are professional APC that internalize and process allo- and autoantigens, and then display the resulting peptides on their surfaces in association with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. MHC-antigen complexes are presented to ?naïve? T cells, thereby stimulating proliferation and differentiation of effector and regulatory T cells. The aim of this review is to summarize current understanding of DCs and Mφ in testis and epididymis. Male reproductive tract environment is characterized by contradictory needs for tolerance against autoantigenic germ cells that appear after the establishmentof central tolerance, and the capacity to mount pro-inflammatory innate immune responses against a wide array of sexually transmitted pathogens. Therefore, exploration of the role of APC in male reproductive organs is helpful to understand mechanisms of male infertility associated with disruption of the delicate equilibrium between immune privilege and inflammation.