In the liver, which cell type acts as an antigen-presenting cell?

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Multiple Choice

In the liver, which cell type acts as an antigen-presenting cell?

Antigen presentation in the liver is carried out by Kupffer cells, the liver’s resident macrophages. They reside in the liver sinusoids and constantly sample portal blood, phagocytose pathogens and debris, process their antigens, and present peptide fragments on MHC class II to CD4+ T cells. This interaction helps kick off adaptive immune responses in the liver and shapes the local immune environment through cytokine signals. Other liver cells can present antigen in some contexts—endothelial cells and hepatocytes can display peptides under certain conditions—but they are not the primary antigen-presenting cells in the liver. Hepatic stellate cells, the Ito cells, are involved in vitamin A storage and fibrosis, not antigen presentation. So the cell type acting as an antigen-presenting cell in the liver is Kupffer cells.

Antigen presentation in the liver is carried out by Kupffer cells, the liver’s resident macrophages. They reside in the liver sinusoids and constantly sample portal blood, phagocytose pathogens and debris, process their antigens, and present peptide fragments on MHC class II to CD4+ T cells. This interaction helps kick off adaptive immune responses in the liver and shapes the local immune environment through cytokine signals. Other liver cells can present antigen in some contexts—endothelial cells and hepatocytes can display peptides under certain conditions—but they are not the primary antigen-presenting cells in the liver. Hepatic stellate cells, the Ito cells, are involved in vitamin A storage and fibrosis, not antigen presentation. So the cell type acting as an antigen-presenting cell in the liver is Kupffer cells.

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