Abstract
Skin is a barrier between the living organism and its environment. In addition to defending physically against external stimuli, it also defends immunologically. The immune capacity of the skin involves several cell types: Langerhans cells, dermal dendritic cells, T cells, endothelial cells, keratinocytes, mast cells, basophils, and other cells all participate under certain circumstances in a harmonious manner. Thus, the concept of skin-associated lymphoid tissue (SALT) was proposed in the early 1980s. As a result of immune responses to external stimuli, several inflammatory skin diseases are induced. In this process, different types of topical antigens can induce different types of cutaneous immune responses, and that the duration of antigen exposure modulates the cutaneous Th1/Th2 milieu dynamically. Since the recent immunological findings has lead to the development of new therapeutics, including biologics. To understand the skin immune responses is essential not only to basic scientists, including immunologists but also clinicians, such as allergologists and dermatologists.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Clark RA, Chong B, Mirchandani N et al (2006) The vast majority of CLA+ T cells are resident in normal skin. J Immunol 176(7):4431–4439
Zuberbier T, Asero R, Bindslev-Jensen C et al (2009) EAACI/GA(2)LEN/EDF/WAO guideline: definition, classification and diagnosis of urticaria. Allergy 64(10):1417–1426
Honda T, Egawa G, Grabbe S, Kabashima K (2013) Update of immune events in the murine contact hypersensitivity model: toward the understanding of allergic contact dermatitis. J Invest Dermatol 133(2):303–315
Kabashima K (2012) Pathomechanism of atopic dermatitis in the perspective of T cell subsets and skin barrier functions – “which comes first, the chicken or the egg?”. Dermatol Sin 30(4):142–146
Kabashima K (2013) New concept of the pathogenesis of atopic dermatitis: interplay among the barrier, allergy, and pruritus as a trinity. J Dermatol Sci 70:3–11
Brandtzaeg P, Kiyono H, Pabst R, Russell MW (2008) Terminology: nomenclature of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue. Mucosal Immunol 1(1):31–37
Streilein JW (1983) Skin-associated lymphoid tissues (SALT): origins and functions. J Invest Dermatol 80(Suppl):12s–16s
Ginhoux F, Collin MP, Bogunovic M et al (2007) Blood-derived dermal langerin+ dendritic cells survey the skin in the steady state. J Exp Med 204(13):3133–3146
Bursch LS, Wang L, Igyarto B et al (2007) Identification of a novel population of Langerin+ dendritic cells. J Exp Med 204(13):3147–3156
Poulin LF, Henri S, de Bovis B, Devilard E, Kissenpfennig A, Malissen B (2007) The dermis contains langerin+ dendritic cells that develop and function independently of epidermal Langerhans cells. J Exp Med 204(13):3119–3131
Kubo A, Nagao K, Yokouchi M, Sasaki H, Amagai M (2009) External antigen uptake by Langerhans cells with reorganization of epidermal tight junction barriers. J Exp Med 206(13):2937–2946
Kissenpfennig A, Henri S, Dubois B et al (2005) Dynamics and function of Langerhans cells in vivo: dermal dendritic cells colonize lymph node areas distinct from slower migrating Langerhans cells. Immunity 22(5):643–654
Honda T, Nakajima S, Egawa G et al (2010) Compensatory role of Langerhans cells and langerin-positive dermal dendritic cells in the sensitization phase of murine contact hypersensitivity. J Allergy Clin Immunol 125(5):1154–1156 e1152
Kitagaki H, Fujisawa S, Watanabe K, Hayakawa K, Shiohara T (1995) Immediate-type hypersensitivity response followed by a late reaction is induced by repeated epicutaneous application of contact sensitizing agents in mice. J Invest Dermatol 105(6):749–755
Otsuka A, Nakajima S, Kubo M et al (2013) Basophils are required for the induction of Th2 immunity to haptens and peptide antigens. Nat Commun 4:1738
Tomura M, Honda T, Tanizaki H et al (2010) Activated regulatory T cells are the major T cell type emigrating from the skin during a cutaneous immune response in mice. J Clin Invest 120(3):883–893
Honda T, Miyachi Y, Kabashima K (2010) The role of regulatory T cells in contact hypersensitivity. Recent Pat Inflamm Allergy Drug Discov 4(2):85–89
Honda T, Miyachi Y, Kabashima K (2011) Regulatory T cells in cutaneous immune responses. J Dermatol Sci 63(2):75–82
Honda T, Otsuka A, Tanizaki H et al (2011) Enhanced murine contact hypersensitivity by depletion of endogenous regulatory T cells in the sensitization phase. J Dermatol Sci 61(2):144–147
Kitagaki H, Ono N, Hayakawa K, Kitazawa T, Watanabe K, Shiohara T (1997) Repeated elicitation of contact hypersensitivity induces a shift in cutaneous cytokine milieu from a T helper cell type 1 to a T helper cell type 2 profile. J Immunol 159(5):2484–2491
Rokhsar CK, Shupack JL, Vafai JJ, Washenik K (1998) Efficacy of topical sensitizers in the treatment of alopecia areata. J Am Acad Dermatol 39(5 Pt 1):751–761
Nakajima S, Igyarto BZ, Honda T et al (2012) Langerhans cells are critical in epicutaneous sensitization with protein antigen via thymic stromal lymphopoietin receptor signaling. J Allergy Clin Immunol 129(4):1048–1055 e1046
Spergel JM, Mizoguchi E, Brewer JP, Martin TR, Bhan AK, Geha RS (1998) Epicutaneous sensitization with protein antigen induces localized allergic dermatitis and hyperresponsiveness to methacholine after single exposure to aerosolized antigen in mice. J Clin Invest 101(8):1614–1622
Oyoshi MK, Larson RP, Ziegler SF, Geha RS (2010) Mechanical injury polarizes skin dendritic cells to elicit a T(H)2 response by inducing cutaneous thymic stromal lymphopoietin expression. J Allergy Clin Immunol 126(5):976–984, 984 e971-975
Onoue A, Kabashima K, Kobayashi M, Mori T, Tokura Y (2009) Induction of eosinophil- and Th2-attracting epidermal chemokines and cutaneous late-phase reaction in tape-stripped skin. Exp Dermatol 18(12):1036–1043
Howell MD, Kim BE, Gao P et al (2007) Cytokine modulation of atopic dermatitis filaggrin skin expression. J Allergy Clin Immunol 120(1):150–155
Gutowska-Owsiak D, Schaupp AL, Salimi M et al (2012) IL-17 downregulates filaggrin and affects keratinocyte expression of genes associated with cellular adhesion. Exp Dermatol 21(2):104–110
Akdis CA, Akdis M, Bieber T et al (2006) Diagnosis and treatment of atopic dermatitis in children and adults: European Academy of Allergology and Clinical Immunology/American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology/PRACTALL Consensus Report. J Allergy Clin Immunol 118(1):152–169
Heimall J, Spergel JM (2012) Filaggrin mutations and atopy: consequences for future therapeutics. Expert Rev Clin Immunol 8(2):189–197
Egawa G, Kabashima K (2011) Skin as a peripheral lymphoid organ: revisiting the concept of skin-associated lymphoid tissues. J Invest Dermatol 131(11):2178–2185
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer Japan
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Kabashima, K. (2016). Overview: Immunology of the Skin. In: Kabashima, K. (eds) Immunology of the Skin. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55855-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-55855-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
Print ISBN: 978-4-431-55853-8
Online ISBN: 978-4-431-55855-2
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)