Chinese Academy of Sciences Mar 4 2026 Dendritic cells (DCs) are increasingly recognized as important contributors to sepsis-associated immune dysfunction. As professional antigen-presenting cells, they bridge innate sensing and durable adaptive immunity, shape effector responses, and determine whether the immune system remains vigilant or falls silent. In sepsis, however, DCs frequently lose their capacity and adopt an immunosuppressive phenotype. Why this shift occurs and whether it can be