The Nature of Interferon Lambda Signalling in Dendritic Cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are major producers of Interferon (IFN)-α/β and IFN-λ, and are also one of the few haematopoietic cells which express the IFN-λ receptor (IFN-λR). Whilst type I IFN enhanced maturation on end-stage DC has been well established, little is known about how interferons influence the earlier stages of DC development. Furthermore, there is little information available regarding the molecular signalling pathways induced by IFN-α or IFN-λ in DC precursors and mature DC. As a whole, the works presented in this thesis investigate the effects of IFN-α and IFN-λ on DCs in both a developmental and mature context.