Dendritic cells (DC) are professional antigen‐presenting cells that possess both migratory properties and potent T cell stimulatory activity, and that allow the uptake of antigenic material inperipheral tissues and its subsequent presentation in the T cell areas of lymphoid organs. Thus motility represents a central property that is required for DC function. Here we report on the expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase c‐met in DC. c‐Met is the high affinity receptor for scatter factor (SF)/hepatocyte growth factor, and ligand‐activated c‐met exhibits mitogenic, morphogenic andmotogenic activity in vivo and in vitro. c‐Met is signaling competent in DC since it is effectively tyrosine phosphorylated in response to SF ligand. It is demonstrated here that ligand‐activated c‐met regulates DC adhesion to the extracellular matrix component laminin but leaves antigen presenting function unaffected. Importantly, in ear sheet explant experiments activationof c‐met by ligand induces emigration of cutaneous DC (Langerhans cell, LC) from skin, but SF is not a chemoattractant factor for DC. Our results suggest an important role of the c‐met/SF system in DC/LC migration.