Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) have the unique ability to rapidly mount high-level antiviral type I interferon (IFN-I) responses during diverse virus infections. In COVID-19 patients, reduced pDC numbers correlate with diminished IFN-I serum levels and enhanced disease severity. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2-mediated pDC stimulation to induce cytokine responses are still largely unclear. In this issue of the EMBO Journal, van der Sluis and colleagues tackled this question by using an innovative hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC)-pDC system that allows gene editing and the detailed analysis of pDC sensing mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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Toll 样受体很重要：COVID-19 中的浆细胞样树突状细胞。

浆细胞样树突状细胞 (pDC) 具有独特的能力，可在多种病毒感染期间快速产生高水平的抗病毒 I 型干扰素 (IFN-I) 反应。在 COVID-19 患者中，pDC 数量减少与 IFN-I 血清水平降低和疾病严重程度增加相关。然而，SARS-CoV-2 介导的 pDC 刺激诱导细胞因子反应的分子机制仍不清楚。在本期 EMBO 期刊中，van der Sluis 及其同事通过使用创新的造血干细胞和祖细胞 (HSPC)-pDC 系统解决了这个问题，该系统允许基因编辑和 pDC 传感机制的详细分析。