T cells are more than skin deep
Skin is more than just a passive barrier to infection—it’s a dynamic immune microenvironment. Indeed, skin in a human adult is home to around 20 billion memory T cells; however, little is known about the composition and function of these cells. Now, Watanabe et al. characterize four different populations of T cells in the skin, two resident and two recirculating. The resident memory T cells had more potent effector functions than recirculating cells as well as different proliferative capacities. In addition, the recirculating cells returned to the skin at different rates. These data suggest that the different T cell populations in the skin may each provide a singular function in protecting the body from infection.
- Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science
