An Ectoderm-Derived Myeloid-like Cell Population Functions as Antigen Transporters for Langerhans Cells in Zebrafish Epidermis (Developmental Cell)

The origins and functions of resident immune cells in barrier tissue are highly diverse. Lin et al. identify in the zebrafish epidermis an ectoderm-derived immune cell type--metaphocytes--that capture soluble antigens from external environment through transepithelial protrusions and convey these antigens to conventional Langerhans cells via an apoptosis-phagocytosis pathway.