Langerhans cells are dendritic cells (antigen-presenting immune cells) of the skin and mucosa, and contain organelles called Birbeck granules. They are present in all layers of the epidermis except the stratum corneum, which protects against infections, and are most prominent in the stratum spinosum. They also occur in the papillary dermis, particularly around blood vessels, as well as in the mucosa of the mouth, foreskin, and vagina. They can be found in other tissues, such as lymph nodes, particularly in association with the condition Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH).
In skin infections, the local Langerhans cells take up and process microbial antigens to become fully functional antigen-presenting cells.
Generally, dendritic cells in tissue are active in the capture, uptake and processing of antigens. Once dendritic cells arrive in secondary lymphoid tissue, however, they lose these properties while gaining the capacity to interact with naive T-cells.
Langerhans cells derive from primitive erythro-myeloid progenitors that arise in the yolk sac outside the embryo in the first trimester of pregnancy, and under normal circumstances persist throughout life, being replenished by local proliferation as necessary. If the skin becomes severely inflamed, perhaps because of infection, blood monocytes are recruited to the affected region and differentiate into replacement LCs. They are similar in morphology and function to macrophages.