Role of Lymphoid Structure in Skin Immunity

Abstract

The skin is the outermost organ of the body and is exposed to many kinds of external pathogens. To manage this, the skin contains multiple types of immune cells. To achieve sufficient induction of cutaneous adaptive immune responses, the antigen presentation/recognition in the skin is an essential process. Recent studies have expanded our knowledge of how T cells survey their cognate antigens in the skin. In addition, the formation of a lymphoid cluster, named inducible skin-associated lymphoid tissue (iSALT), has been reported during skin inflammation. Although iSALT may not be classified as a typical tertiary lymphoid organ, it provides specific antigen presentation sites in the skin. In this article, we provide an overview of the antigen presentation mechanism in the skin, with a focus on the development of iSALT and its function.